Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'

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penstemon 'Husker Red'

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Synonyms

Penstemon digitalis 'Purpureus'

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
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'Husker Red' is a bushy perennial to 75cm tall, with lance-shaped, deepwine-red young leaves and stems, and panicles of bell-shaped, pure white flowers 2.5cm long in late spring and early summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or East–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Plantaginaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Semi evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Penstemon may be deciduous or evergreen perennials or subshrubs, with simple, narrow leaves and racemes or panicles of bell-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers in summer and early autumn
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. In cold areas, protect plant overwinter with a dry winter mulch. See penstemon cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed but the offspring will be variable, often with flowers of a murky shade. Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe stem tip cuttings in late summer to early autumn. Divide clumps in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Prairie planting
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Tidy any winter damaged growth in early spring. Deadhead after flowering (unless seed is needed)

Pests

Slugs and snails, aphids and leaf and bud eelworm can be troublesome

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds, powdery mildews or fungal leaf spot