1996 Perennial of the Year - Husker"s Red Penstemon
There is a good reason the Husker's Red Penstemon was chosen as the 1996 Perennial of the Year.
This easy-care perennial thrives in semi-shady conditions and does not need a lot of fussy care.
Divide the mother plant every few years to expand your garden, and cut the flowers before they fade to enjoy in a vase on the kitchen table.
Luxurious mahogany or burgundy foliage looks wonderful even before the plant breaks out all over with trumpet shaped blooms.
Flowers from June to late summer and creates burgundy seed pods that make birds happy during cold fall weather.
Great butterfly attractor.
Leaves of various species of Penstemon are narrow and long (3 to 5 inches).
The flowers will remind you of foxglove.
Like most perennials, Penstemon is not fussy about fertilizer.
Put your plants in rich soil and let them do the rest.
Amend with compost if you have it around.
A good drink in the spring with a balanced fertilizer containing phosphorus is just fine, but don't overfeed because your plants will produce more foliage than flowers.
And, please don't fertilize in late summer or fall, because the extra shot of nutrition produces lush growth that doesn't have a chance to harden off before cold weather, causing the plant more harm than good.
Sun: Likes 4-6 hours of sun each day; does just fine in semi-shady conditions.
Soil: Tolerates a variety of soils (clay, loam, sandy).
Prefers moist soil, but will tolerate drying out (not drought).
Height: 30-36 inches Spread: 12-24 inches Generally non-invasive; please divide every 2 to 3 years to make your perennial garden bigger and the plants more comfortable.
This easy-care perennial thrives in semi-shady conditions and does not need a lot of fussy care.
Divide the mother plant every few years to expand your garden, and cut the flowers before they fade to enjoy in a vase on the kitchen table.
Luxurious mahogany or burgundy foliage looks wonderful even before the plant breaks out all over with trumpet shaped blooms.
Flowers from June to late summer and creates burgundy seed pods that make birds happy during cold fall weather.
Great butterfly attractor.
Leaves of various species of Penstemon are narrow and long (3 to 5 inches).
The flowers will remind you of foxglove.
Like most perennials, Penstemon is not fussy about fertilizer.
Put your plants in rich soil and let them do the rest.
Amend with compost if you have it around.
A good drink in the spring with a balanced fertilizer containing phosphorus is just fine, but don't overfeed because your plants will produce more foliage than flowers.
And, please don't fertilize in late summer or fall, because the extra shot of nutrition produces lush growth that doesn't have a chance to harden off before cold weather, causing the plant more harm than good.
Sun: Likes 4-6 hours of sun each day; does just fine in semi-shady conditions.
Soil: Tolerates a variety of soils (clay, loam, sandy).
Prefers moist soil, but will tolerate drying out (not drought).
Height: 30-36 inches Spread: 12-24 inches Generally non-invasive; please divide every 2 to 3 years to make your perennial garden bigger and the plants more comfortable.
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