About
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.
About the 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
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureWell-drained
AspectSouth-facing, East-facing, West-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH4
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial
HabitBushy
FoliageSemi evergreen
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
CultivationGrow 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
PruningDeadhead 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
PropagationPropagate by softwood cuttings in early summer, semi-hardwood cuttings in midsummer or by division in spring
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs, snails and chrysanthemum eelworms
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to powdery mildews