Penstemon 'Pensham The Dean's Damson' (Pensham Series)

RHS Plant Profile
penstemon 'Pensham The Dean's Damson'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Penstemon 'Pensham The Dean's Damson' (Pensham Series)?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
penstemon 'Pensham The Dean's Damson' RHS

Synonyms

Penstemon 'Pensham Deans Damson'
Penstemon 'Deans Damson'

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial

'Pensham The Dean's Damson' is an upright, semi-evergreen perennial to 90cm tall, with narrow, mid-green leaves, and bell-shaped flowers produced from midsummer into autumn. These are rich red-purple with a white throat streaked with red-purple

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

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 Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or East–facing or West–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)
H4

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

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer, semi-hardwood cuttings in midsummer or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Deadhead regularly, or after flowering shorten flowered stems by half, to encourage further flowering. Cut back to just above new shoots, or lowest healthy leaves, in spring after frost has passed

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, snails and chrysanthemum eelworms

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews