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Herbaceous Perennial

Penstemon heterophyllus 'Blue Spring'

penstemon 'Blue Spring'

An evergreen, woody-basedperennial to 45cm tall with narrow, bluish-green, glossy leaves. In summer, it produces dense flower spikes bearing sky-blue funnel-shaped flowers with purple-tinged throats

Synonyms

Penstemon 'Blue Spring' misapplied

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

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)

Botanical details

Family: Plantaginaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: 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

Take softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe cuttings in midsummer or propagate by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Rock garden
Wildlife gardens
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Prune any winter-damaged stems back hard to encourage fresh new growth from the base. After flowering, shorten flowered stems by half (unless seed is required) to encourage further flowering

Pests

Maybe susceptible to slugs, snails, aphids and leaf and bud eelworm

Diseases

May be affected by grey mould, powdery mildew and fungal leaf spot

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