Description of the penstemon plant, how to properly plant and care when growing in the garden, advice on reproduction, how to deal with pests and diseases, notes to gardeners, species and varieties.
Penstemon belongs to the representatives of the flora belonging to the Scrophulariales family. They can grow as annuals or perennials, characterized by a herbaceous, shrub or semi-shrub form. The native area of growth of these plants falls on the territory of both Americas, and only one by one they are found in the eastern regions of Asia and in the Far East. The genus has more than 250 varieties, but until now, despite such a number in gardening, they are a rarity.
| Family name | Norichnikovye |
| Growing period | Perennial |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous, shrub or semi-shrub |
| Breeding method | Using seeds or vegetatively (by cuttings, dividing or layering) |
| Landing period in open ground | It is best to plant in spring, when return frosts have passed. |
| Landing rules | Saplings are planted no closer than 35 cm from each other |
| Priming | Well drained, with coarse sand or small pebbles, light |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 5-6, from slightly acidic and below |
| Lighting degree | South or West facing, several hours of direct sunlight per day |
| Humidity parameters | Abundant, 2-3 times a week |
| Special care rules | Fertilize only during the period of activation of growth, during the rest period is minimal |
| Height values | 0.2-1.2 m |
| Type of inflorescences | Loose paniculate or racemose, terminal inflorescences |
| Flower color | Pink and red, blue and purple, yellow and white, and cream |
| Flowering time | May June |
| Decorative period | Spring-summer |
| Application in landscape design | Rock gardens, mixborders, large flower beds, for border decoration |
| USDA zone | 4–8 |
The first mention of this representative of the flora is found in the works of the English botanist John Mitchell (1711-1768), which date back to 1748. Subsequently, the famous taxonomist of nature Karl Linnaeus (1707–1778) included it in his published work of 1753 as Chelone pentstemon, changing the spelling. This was done to better convey the idea that the name refers to a kind of fifth stamen (from the Greek word "penta-", five). Mitchell's work was republished in 1769, in which the plant continued to be named by its original spelling, and this later became the basis for the final form, although the term Pentstemon continued to be used in the 20th century.
As mentioned earlier, penstemone can only grow for a year or several years in a row. It has a developed rhizome and upright stems. The number of stems varies from 1 to 4 pieces. Their height can vary within 20–120 cm. Shoots on the surface can have ribs or be rounded. Their color is both bright green and brownish brown. Leaf plates, unfolding in the root zone of the shoots, are also bright green in color, with a solid edge and a glossy surface. A rosette is formed from the leaves, but if they are located on the stem itself, then they go in the opposite order. The foliage is devoid of petioles.
It is characteristic that the buds of penstemon bloom in the period May-June, which just allows you to decorate the garden in that period when the spring flowers are already peppers, and the summer ones have not yet begun to bloom. An elongated inflorescence appears at the top of the stem, consisting of a small number of buds and therefore loose, with panicle or racemose outlines. Corollas in flowers are characterized by a tubular or bell-shaped shape, while they have a not too pronounced division into two lips. The color of the flowers takes either one shade or there can be several of them (the middle of one color scheme, and the edge of another). The petals can often be pink and red, blue and purple, yellow and white, and cream. It happens that the throat of the corolla is characterized by a lighter tone. The calyx of the flower is measured in length 1, 5-2, 5 cm. From the central part of the flower staminate filaments, crowned with anthers of a dark color, peep out spectacularly. There is also an ovary.
When the process of pollination in penstemon flowers is completed, the fruits ripen, which look like a box with a pair of valves filled with small seeds. The outlines of the seeds are angular, their surface is covered with a brown skin, characterized by roughness. If we talk about the size of the seed material, it is estimated that there are about 10,000 seeds in 1 gram. They do not lose germination for 2 years.
The plant is easy to care for and, if grown correctly, can become a real decoration of any flower garden, you just have to follow the recommendations below. And since today there are a large variety of both basic species and varieties, every gardener will be able to find one that suits his wishes.
Planting and caring for penstemon outdoors
- Landing place. It is recommended to select a flower bed in such a way that the bushes are illuminated by direct sunlight for a couple of hours a day. For this, a western or southern location is suitable. Partial shade is also possible, but only in an open place will Penstemon delight with lush flowering. However, it is worth taking care of protection from the piercing cold draft. Since the stems of some species are characterized by sufficient indicators in height, gusts of wind will be harmful to them.
- Soil for penstemon must have a high level of drainability and lightness. For looseness, a large amount of river sand is mixed into it, or even some flower growers use small pebbles. The plant thrives best on a slightly acidic substrate when the acidity is in the pH range of 5, 5-6 or below. If the soil on the site is heavy, then not only sand and pebbles are introduced into it, but even sawdust, which, by rotting, will contribute to an increase in acidity.
- Landing penstemon. The best time to place seedlings outdoors will be spring, when return frosts cannot damage young plants or cuttings. For this, a place is carefully selected and the soil is prepared in a new place so that it meets all the above requirements. Then a hole is dug in it so that it can easily accommodate a seedling cup or the root system of a plant. In this case, the depth of the hole should be such that when planting penstemon, the level in the soil of the root collar in height remains the same. After installing the seedling, soil mixture is poured into the hole around and squeezed a little. Then abundant watering is needed. For immature specimens, it is recommended to provide shading for the first time, which will help them to adapt as soon as possible. Since the plant does not tolerate thickening, it is recommended to place the seedlings at a distance of at least 35 cm from each other. And if the variety's stems are large in height, then this distance is kept large.
- Watering when caring for penstemon, it is required to be carried out regularly and abundantly, on average 2-3 times a week. But it is important at the same time that the substrate can dry out between waterings. If the weather is very hot and dry in summer, then humidification is performed daily in the morning or evening hours. Flooding and flooding of the soil must not be allowed when growing penstemon. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the substrate in the root zone. This will promote better penetration of air and moisture to the root system, and also prevent it from crusting.
- Wintering when caring for penstemon, it must ensure that the soil does not become waterlogged, so many gardeners in the garden cover the bush, and also clean up snowdrifts. All due to the fact that thaws will lead to the melting of the snow cover, and this will entail waterlogging of the substrate. The plant is more prone to suffer not from frost, but from getting wet. The cover can be a nonwoven fabric such as agrofiber, lutrasil, or spunbond. In the absence of such, a layer of fallen dry leaves or spruce branches can be used as a shelter, but its thickness should be at least 10-15 cm. As soon as spring comes, the shelter must be removed so that the leaf rosettes do not evaporate.
- Fertilizer for the plant, it should be applied regularly, as this will stimulate the growth of the curtain and the subsequent lush flowering. For this, organic matter is used, while the regularity of fertilizing will be three times a year. Before flowering (about a couple of days), it is recommended to feed the penstemon with phosphorus preparations. Some gardeners are not too keen on fertilizers, because if you overdo it, foliage will begin to grow, to the detriment of flowering. Instead, compost is placed under the bushes in the spring or fall.
- Pruning it is recommended to carry out regularly. After flowering is complete, you should remove all discolored inflorescences, and also remove dried leaf plates. With the arrival of autumn, when some species also stop blooming, it is time to radically prune the bush. Near the curtain, almost the entire above-ground part is cut off, but only the leaf rosette in the root zone is not touched. Since after 3-5 years, the bushes begin to sprout (the flowers are small, the stems are stretched out and there are fewer leaves on them), you should rejuvenate. The bush can be divided and planted in its individual divisions.
- The use of penstemon in landscape design. Since the plant has the ability to quickly grow and form a spreading curtain, it is recommended to plant it in rock gardens and in large flower beds, you can occasionally arrange borders with them. Despite its attractiveness, penstemon does not tolerate too close the presence of other plants, so it should be placed at some distance in the flower garden. Or planting is allowed with fairly strong plants that may even be aggressive to spread. If you want to make a bouquet from penstemon inflorescences, you need to remember that, despite the beauty in a vase, it will not last long. The best neighbors for this single-handed plant can be crested and astilbe, chamomile and hyssop, ornamental sedge and daffodils. Penstemon will not be able to act as a ground cover because of the tall stems, but it looks great in mixborders.
Read also about growing buddlea, planting and care in open field conditions.
Reproduction of penstemon: growing from seeds, cuttings, layering and dividing the bush
To get new bushes with buds-tassels that can decorate the garden before frost, it is necessary to sow the harvested seeds or carry out vegetative propagation, which consists of cuttings, dividing the bush or jigging cuttings.
Growing penstemon from seeds
It is recommended for this to engage in the cultivation of seedlings. Sowing should be done at the end of winter days. A loose and fertile substrate is poured into the seedling box; you can also mix peat crumbs with river sand in equal amounts. Then the soil is sprayed and seeds are spread on its surface. It is important to remember that they are quite small and should not be buried; you can lightly dust them on top with dry sand. The container with crops is placed in a warm place with room temperature (about 20-24 degrees Celsius) and good lighting. A window sill will do, but shade from direct sunlight will be required.
Crop care will consist in regularly spraying the soil if it begins to dry out (it is important not to bring it to waterlogging). When 10-14 days have passed, you will be able to see the first shoots of penstemon. When a pair of real leaves unfold on the seedlings, this serves as a signal to dive. Then transplanting is carried out in separate pots (it is better to take peat-humus - this will facilitate the subsequent movement to the flower bed) and the same soil composition as when sowing. After transplantation, heat indicators are reduced to 15 degrees, and the lighting level is increased. When the threat of recurrent frosts has passed (and this is the end of May-June), then the grown seedlings can be planted in open ground.
If the region where it is planned to grow the plant is warm and southern, then the sowing is carried out directly on the flower bed. The best time will be November. Then the sown seeds will undergo natural stratification and can germinate successfully with the arrival of spring. Sowing rules will be the same as for growing seedlings.
Propagation of penstemon by dividing the bush
If the plant has acquired a fairly large size, then you can engage in planting it. When the soil warms up, but active vegetation has not yet begun, then the bush must be dug out of the ground with a garden fork and the root system must be cleaned of soil. This can be done with your hands, while carefully disassembling the stems, trying not to injure the root system. It is important that the cuttings are not too small, as this will complicate their engraftment. When the cuttings are prepared, they are immediately planted, at a distance of 35 cm from each other.
Propagation of penstemon by cuttings
From the onset of May until the end of summer, you can reproduce this plant using cut cuttings. Blanks are taken from the tops of the stems, which are devoid of inflorescences. After that, the cuttings are planted in a moist nutrient soil. Before planting, the slices can be treated with a rooting stimulator. Seedlings should be wrapped in plastic wrap and shaded. When signs of rooting appear, the film is removed and the plants are gradually accustomed to more light. Planting in open ground is possible only in July, when the seedling will have stable shoots.
Propagation of penstemon by layering
When spring comes, then some shoots can be bent to the surface of the ground using a slingshot. There you need to fix them - you can take a hairpin or a hard wire. In the place where the shoot touches the soil, it is sprinkled with a small layer and watered. Layering care is performed in the same way as for the mother plant. When the period of 14–20 weeks has passed, then the cuttings will form their own root system and it must be separated, since such bushes do not tolerate crowding. After the seedling is separated, it is immediately transplanted to a prepared place in the flower bed.
How to deal with pests and diseases when caring for penstemon?
Despite the fact that the plant is distinguished by strong immunity, it is possible that it is affected by fungal diseases. This occurs in cases where the planting was carried out on a damp and swampy area or the irrigation regime was regularly violated. Such diseases are:
- Powdery mildew - in this case, the symptoms are a whitish coating on the leaves and their subsequent yellowing and wilting.
- Rust - the disease is manifested by the formation of spots of a brownish shade, which have the peculiarity of growing over the entire leaf.
- Leaf spot - the formation of spots of various shapes and colors also takes place, while the foliage will certainly be shed.
It is recommended to immediately remove the infected shoot, and treat nearby bushes with fungicidal preparations, such as Bordeaux liquid or Fundazol. If everything went right, then in the near future it will be possible to see new young and healthy stems from the soil. Often, with fungal diseases on the tops of the shoots, drying begins, this can also serve as a symptom of a lack of moisture and drought.
It is curious that harmful insects are not at all interested in the plant and will not have to be dealt with. But the leaves can gnaw off gastropods such as slugs or snails. The fight against them consists in the manual collection of pests or the use of a drug, like Meta-Thunderstorm.
Read also about the fight against possible diseases and pests when growing toadflax
Notes to gardeners about the penstemon flower
In the 17th century, several more varieties were found after the description of the first representative of the genus in 1748 by John Mitchell. The period from 1810 to 1850 increased the number of known species from 4 to 63 as expeditions passed through Mexico and the western United States, and then another 100 until 1900. At this time, the seeds of the plant began to be offered for sale in Europe, the earliest known of them dates back to 1813, when John Fraser offered 4 species in London, and then Flanagan & Nutting introduced 9 species for sale in their catalog of 1835. Subsequently, many hybrids were developed in Europe.
Fieldwork in remote parts of the Great Basin (North America) during the 20th century yielded a total of more than 250 species known today. Rod was carefully revised by David Keck (Canadian teacher and writer) between 1932 and 1957. In 1946, the Penstemon Society of America was formed to promote both horticultural and botanical interests.
Some Indian tribes used the penstemone species as medicines for humans and animals. However, today its main use is decorative.
Types and varieties of penstemon
Bearded Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus)
represented by a perennial herb, the height of the stems of which can reach an indicator of 0, 7–0, 9 m. The stems are distinguished by their strength and the possibility of branching. The peel that covers the stems is characterized by smoothness and a bright green hue. The leaf plates, which unfold on the stems, take on ovoid or lanceolate outlines with an elongated and pointed apex. The arrangement of the foliage is opposite.
When flowering at the top of the stem, double or triple inflorescences can develop, the flowers in which are characterized by small sizes. Usually the shape of the inflorescence is racemose, it reaches 25-30 cm in length. The corolla of a flower with a tubular contour and its diameter when opening is 2.5 cm. The color of the petals mainly includes a red, purple, scarlet-red or pinkish tint. The flowering process usually occurs in May or early June. Moreover, each flower "lives" for 1–1, 5 months.
To date, breeders have bred a large number of varieties, the following are most popular:
- Coxenias (Coccineus) the owner of flowers of a red shade with jaggedness, stems in height vary in the range of 0, 6-1, 2 m.
- Dark Towers or Dark Towers - characterized by the outlines of a herbaceous shrub, the height of the stems of which can vary from 10 cm to 90 cm. The stems are covered with large-sized leaves of a lilac-greenish hue. They are crowned with inflorescences of pale pinkish flowers with tubular corollas.
- Rondo can be extended by stems of only up to 40 cm. During the flowering period, they are decorated with bell-shaped flowers collected in inflorescences. The color of the petals in them is red or crimson-blue.
- Rubycunda whose shoots in the middle of summer are decorated with panicle inflorescences of large flowers, with a corolla of scarlet color and a snow-white throat. The height of the stems does not exceed half a meter.
- Iron Maiden or Iron Maiden characterized by a smooth surface of stems with a purple color. In the summer they end in inflorescences composed of narrowed tubular flowers with red petals.
Penstemon digitalis (Penstemon digitalis)
is characterized by the highest resistance to frost among the representatives of the genus. The stems can vary from 60 to 120 cm in height. A rosette is assembled from the root leaves, which can remain unchanged throughout the year. The shoots are branched and when flowering begins, their tip becomes the place for the development of inflorescences. The latter are formed by tubular flowers. The petals in them are cream or pinkish in color. Flowering occurs in June.
The following varieties of penstemon are distinguished by the greatest decorativeness:
- Evelyn characterized by the fact that bright green stems, pink flowers in panicle inflorescences stand out effectively.
- Husker red or Red swing has foliage, like shoots with a rich shade of reddish bronze. At the same time, tubular flowers with snow-white corollas are their spectacular shading.
Penstemon brilliant (Penstemon nitidus)
characterized by both high frost resistance and early flowering. Perennial, the stems of which reach a height of 25 cm. Foliage in the root zone contributes to the formation of a rosette. This leaf rosette can also serve as a garden decoration in winter. The leaf plates have an elongated lanceolate shape with a rounded edge. The length of the leaf reaches 10 cm with a width of 2 cm. The color of the leaves is bluish or bluish-green in color. The leaves on the stems have the same color, but their outlines are oval, there are no petioles.
It is this shade of foliage that serves as an excellent plan for the apical inflorescences that have the shape of a brush. The length of the inflorescence does not exceed 10 cm. The flowers in the inflorescence are tubular, heavenly or pale pinkish. The petals in the corolla have the characteristic limb that is present in other varieties, but also have no slight splicing. The diameter, with full disclosure of the flower, approaches the parameters of 2–2, 5 cm.
Penstemon hartwegii
has a generally recognized name in the area of natural growth - beardtongue Hartweg. The plant, according to some sources, is considered one of the perennial species that are part of the Plantain family. The outlines of the flowers are somewhat similar to the flowers of Snapdragon, that is, there is a two-lipped shape. The stems rise in height to the mark of 0.7 m. The size of the flowers is quite large, their buds form inflorescences that resemble a kind of brush. Although often the throat inside has a snow-white color scheme, but a wide variety of shades along the edge can be present. The flowering time falls on the period from the beginning of summer days and stretches to the very frost. Seed propagation is recommended, and you can place the seeds both in the ground and grow seedlings. It is highly popular in the former CIS countries.
Penstemon pointed (Penstemon acuminatus)
or Penstemon Akumanates. It mainly grows in the Northwest United States of America, where it is found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. There it bears the well-known name sharpleaf penstemon. This species is a perennial herb up to 60 cm high, with one or more vertical stems. Basal leaves are 10 to 15 cm long, and those higher on the stem reach 7 cm. Leaves at the roots can compress the stem at the base. The fleshy leaf blades and stem can be waxy in texture. When flowering, tubular blue, purple or pink flowers up to 2 cm long are formed. They have wide pharynx and expanding corollas. The stamen has a beard with yellow hairs.
This plant naturally grows in sandy habitat types such as dunes. The species is used for vegetation restoration of wildlife habitats, for landscaping and gardens, as well as for planting on roadsides.
Penstemon hybrid (Penstemon x hybridus)
a large number of hybrid forms are combined under this name. The stems can reach a height of 0.75 cm. The leaf plates are characterized by a green color, their outlines are ovoid. The shades of flowers are very diverse, but often the throat of the corolla is lighter than its edge. The flowering process extends from May to October.
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Video about growing penstemon in the garden:
