Plant of the week

DANCING PENSTEMONS

If YOU’RE looking for a stronggrowing perennial that is trouble-free and doesn’t know how to stop flowering, penstemons are for you. The most colourful with the largest flowers come in a wide range, from white, pink or lilac tones to scarlet, crimson or purple. There are hundreds of varieties, but one of the best is the Cha Cha series. Among these, I’ve been growing Cha Cha Cherry. The flowers are large, foxgloveshaped and glowing cherry red with white striping at their throats. My plants have been in flower since June and promise to soldier on until late autumn. Other colours include Cha Cha Purple and the much paler, white-throated Cha Cha Lavender (above). Like all large-flowered penstemons, these are long-lived perennials but not quite hardy enough to risk leaving outside all winter. When autumn comes, take cuttings for rooting indoors and leave the parent plants untrimmed until next April. Lay mulch round each to protect the roots. Then, if the winter is not too hard, the penstemon will survive to flower next year.