The pen is mighty
Top performer is your plot’s best friend
PENSTEMON is a true friend of the garden – and one you can rely on.
You can trust this fabulous border plant to flower from early summer to mid autumn. It performs well even in hot, sunny conditions and dry soil.
Plants grow 30-90cm tall and look best en masse and when combined with other late-flowering herbaceous perennials, especially red hot pokers and hardy geraniums. Or try with ornamental grasses.
Variety Shock Wave is one to look out for as its tubular, foxglove-like flowers are an exquisite electric-blue. They are a striking contrast to Garnet, which is one of the toughest, and Blackbird, which produce blooms in wonderful rich plum colours.
Penstemons also come in pastel shades, which can be used to add a freshness and feminine touch when many border plants are bright yellow and rich autumn shades.
Sheen
Most noteworthy is the Ice Cream collection, bred for container growing. They produce elegant spikes of graceful, nectar-rich, nodding flowers that attract bees and butterflies.
Breeders have been hybridising penstemons for 100 years, so there is a riot of reds too, such as Flame, Red Ace and Chester Scarlet. Use them to create a wave of bright seasonal colour from now until November.
Many varieties stand up to being dusted with hoarfrost in December. The semi-evergreen foliage can even survive a few sub-zero temperatures so retain these older stems as they will protect the crown through the winter.
They make excellent cut flowers. Favourites for summer arrangements include Raven, a deep purple with no white throat, Burgundy, whose plum coloured flowers have sparkling white throats, the lilac-blue Stapleford Gem and Sour Grapes, which has magenta blue flowers with a metallic sheen.
To get the best from them, find a sunny spot with well-draining limey soil and mulch to protect from winter wet. They should last years. Varieties with narrow leaves are hardiest.
When established, you will find they hold no fascination for slugs, shrug off drought and rain and remain pretty happy if there is a bit of shade.