Fire penstemon. Penstemon - growing from seeds

This flower culture is not popular among our gardeners. What is it connected with? Perhaps with some growing conditions, maybe with personal preferences in this area, one way or another, penstemon deserves attention and a separate discussion.

plant description

This flower relatively recently moved to our continent from the shores North America. The popularity of the flower came almost immediately, since. Gardeners immediately expressed a desire to cultivate it on their plots, because with its merits, penstemon can compete with many decorative perennials. It is somewhat reminiscent of our familiar bell, but has many varieties, including ground cover species, as well as erect and rather large varieties.

appearance of flowers

The main advantage of penstemon is that its flowering period falls precisely on that “pause” in the fragrance of the garden, when the early flowers have already finished their flowering, and the later ones are just finishing the formation of buds. This is where this bright and excellent bell “enters the stage”, surprising with its shades and a whole firework of the most diverse species groups. It is thanks to the selection of varieties that you can arrange this holiday in your garden.

On its branches are whole clusters of flowers, which can be several shades at once. This riot of colors is mounted on bright green stems and has slightly oblong leaves.

There are annual and perennials, and, of course, the latter are most loved. Having once planted this in his flowerbed unpretentious plant, you will provide yourself with a beautiful ornamental plant for many years. But in order for this to happen, you should know some of the features of growing this crop, since each plant has its own little secrets.

Varieties

The most popular varieties of this flower among domestic gardeners can be easily listed:

• - this is a plant with lilac or yellow flowers and a white middle, which are collected in umbrellas, and look like a dense pillow;

Alpine

• bearded penstemon- a tall plant, can grow up to a meter in height, flowers are elongated pink or bright red;
• bell-shaped- its height can vary from 60 to 90 cm, the name itself suggests that in terms of flowers and shape it looks like our usual bells;
• the naperstyankovs th - most often differs in white or pinkish color.

The penstemon flower is native to North America and East Asia. This is a perennial plant. Distinguished by reddish foliage with an orange tinge and large quantity white or pinkish flowers. Its stems are strong, with a small number of branches from the very base. But the leaves are large, smooth, tapering towards the top, arranged oppositely. Starts to bloom in early June. This is a great plant for any garden that delights guests. One of the most frost-resistant plants. It is planted, as a rule, in a small bunch in flower beds or paths to flower beds. Grows well in outdoor vases, containers and pots. Look at the photo of penstemon at the stage of budding and flowering in various groups:

Growing: planting and caring for penstemon

Penstemon can be grown from seeds. To do this, it should be sown for seedlings around the end of winter - early spring, without planting it in the ground, since the seeds need daylight to sprout. Growing penstemon is not difficult - the culture will give the hardworking gardener a magnificent flowering for any garden. There are, of course, such types of penstemon that can be sown in winter period, for example, stiff-haired penstemon. If the seeds are snowed in advance, this will favor the fact that they will sprout better. Planting of penstemon is carried out by seeds, it is preferable seedling method cultivation, in which active flowering can be obtained already for the first time. The soil for sowing should be better moist, otherwise the seeds will not be able to break through. From above, the sowing is covered with sand with a layer of approximately 3 mm. At the same time, it is recommended to disinfect the sand in advance with the help of boiling water and cover it with a film or glass. At a temperature of 18 - 24 degrees Celsius, the seeds will give the first sprouts in about half a month. After that, it is advised to lower the temperature of the ambient air for the germination of penstemon to 15 degrees Celsius and continue to keep the seedlings already in small pots containing peat and humus. This will ensure early flowering, which usually begins in mid-summer and continues until autumn. They also suggest transplanting plant sprouts from one pot to another, but only when at least two full-fledged leaves form on them. AT open ground seedlings are recommended to be planted only at the end of May. It is recommended to maintain a distance between the bushes of 30 - 35 cm. Remember that if you transplant the plant ahead of time to the place where it will already grow constantly, then it will begin to bloom later. It is desirable to grow penstemon in calm conditions, otherwise it may lose all its inflorescences. Caring for penstemon, in without fail attention should be paid to drainage so that water does not stand at the roots, and the plant does not get wet in winter. Watering is recommended often, especially in hot weather. Don't let the roots dry out. It is advised to loosen the ground near the bushes. In winter, it is advised to cover the plant with a layer of foliage 15 cm thick. The plant can also be propagated by rhizomes. It is necessary to dig up the rhizomes at the age of the plant 3-5 years. And just transplant them. The photo below shows a penstemon grown by dividing the rhizome:

It prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade. The plant needs well-drained soil. Thrives in loose, gravelly soil. These plants do not require fertilizer. This will only result in extra foliage, not color. But if you want, then twice a month will be enough. Choose a location where the plants will have enough space. Penstemon does not tolerate constraint. to plant better in spring, the distance between plants from 1 to 3 meters apart. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot. Carefully remove the plant and place it in the hole so that the top of the root is level with the soil surface. Don't forget to water. Apply a thin layer of compost each spring followed by a 4cm layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. Water the plant during the summer if the summer is dry. Penstemon is recommended to be trimmed. Usually at the end of April or beginning of May.

The main types of penstemon for growing on the site

For cultivation in the area next to country house you can choose the most suitable plants with unique botanical properties. The main types of penstemon for growing, which do not require special skills and knowledge from the grower, are presented below. You can see the main types of penstemon in the photo, illustrating the richness of the shades of the petals of this flower: penstemon hartwega Height - 50-70 cm. It resembles a snapdragon. The flowers are large, collected in tassels. Flowers have a variety of shades: pink, crimson, red, purple, and the tubules inside the flower can be either pure white or variegated. blooms this species plants from mid-summer until frost.


Penstemon bearded Flowers pink or carmine. Begins to bloom in May to June. The fruit is a multi-seeded capsule. The stem is straight. Reaches 90 cm in height. At the nodes of the stems, the leaves are collected in pairs. The flowers are small in the form of a narrow tube.


penstemon kobo The roots have no leaves. The leaves at the stem are thick, smooth with denticles. Stems are straight. The flowers are large lilac, white or pink. Flowering in May-June.

foxglove penstemon It grows in the eastern states of North America. It reaches a height of 60-120 cm. The basal leaves are evergreen. The flowers are tubular, pink on the outside and white on the inside. Blooms in June. The stems bend, hang, and the inflorescences look up.


Penstemon sensation Height - 45-70 cm. Flowers up to 5 cm long. Coloring of flowers is two-tone - white-pink, white-lilac, white-red, white-violet.


Penstemon hybrid Flowering time is from May to October. It grows in America and Mexico. The flowers are pouring various shades- from white to bright red. The corolla is lilac, in the deepening area - white. The leaves are long, ovoid, smooth, bright green.

Penstemon is a perennial shrub or semi-shrub culture. The plant is native to North and Central America. The flower belongs to the genus Norichnikovyh, although foreign botanists attribute it to the plantain family, of which there are over 250 species.

General information

The Latin name of the plant, translated into Russian, sounds like "almost a stamen." Due to the fact that the flower has one sterile stamen of a bizarre shape, protruding far beyond the petals, and in England the penstemon is called the "bearded tongue", in view of this feature.

For our gardens, this culture is still rare. But thanks to its brightness and unusual appearance, they begin to grow it in our climate zone. The plant blooms in early June and blooms for two to three months. It is not difficult to grow it, the main thing is to follow the advice of experienced gardeners and then the plant will delight with its bright colors every spring.

Penstemon varieties and types of photos with the name

- is a herbaceous bushy perennial with straight stems and lanceolate dark green leaf blades. The height of the culture reaches 1.2 meters. Flowers can be both tubular and bell-shaped. They are collected in paniculate inflorescences, having white, red, lilac, pinkish and other colors. The plant blooms from early to late summer.

- the culture reaches a height of up to 1 meter. Inflorescences are large, light pink. The flowering time of the plant falls at the beginning of summer and lasts for a month. The variety is frost-resistant and can endure winter without warming.

- this variety is characterized by abundant and early flowering. The height of the bush reaches up to 90 centimeters. The inflorescences have an unusual color - inside they are white, and scarlet on the outside. Flowering time begins in May and lasts until the end of July.

- the plant was bred relatively recently. It is frost resistant and abundant flowering. Leaf plates are maroon in color, lanceolate in shape. Pale pink flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. The culture reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and blooms throughout the summer.

- the height of the culture reaches 60 centimeters. Leaf plates are bright green lanceolate. Stems thin, woody. Inflorescences paniculate purple hue. This variety blooms from July to October.

Outwardly, the variety resembles a snapdragon flower. The plant reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters. The inflorescences are large, collected in unusual brushes. Shades of flowers can be white-scarlet, orange, red and purple. Flowering time lasts from mid-summer to the first frost.

- undersized herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of up to 30 centimeters. Leaf plates are medium, lanceolate, green. Inflorescences are small lilac. The plant blooms from early summer to mid-autumn.

- the plant reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and has maroon leaves and stems. Inflorescences are white, racemose with a pleasant aroma. The culture blooms from June to the end of August.

- the stems of the plant reach a height of up to 90 centimeters. The flowers are small, resembling bells of a pinkish-lilac hue. The leaf blades are lanceolate and light green in color. The plant blooms from June to September.

- a herbaceous perennial reaches a height of 70 centimeters. Leaf plates are lanceolate, green-brown. Inflorescences whitish-pink, racemose. Flowering time lasts from May to October.

It is a spectacular annual, reaching a height of up to 80 centimeters. Leaf blades are dark green, lanceolate with a sharp end. The flowers are small, bell-shaped blue and light purple hue. The culture blooms from June to September.

- is a short, bushy perennial, reaching a height of up to 30 centimeters. The leaves are dark green, lanceolate with a slight pubescence. The flowers are small, outwardly resembling a purple bell. The flowering time of the plant is in the summer.

- the variety is characterized by short stature and reaches a height of up to 45 centimeters. The leaves are dark green with a sharp end. Inflorescences racemose, long, two-tone white-blue or white-red. The culture blooms from July to September.

- bushy perennial reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters. The leaves are dark green, medium with a pointed end. Inflorescences are large, two-tone white-red, white-pink and white-burgundy. The culture blooms throughout the summer.

- a variety of undersized, reaching a height of up to 20 centimeters. The bush has a lush, dark green foliage and pubescent, lanceolate leaf blades. Inflorescences racemose pale lavender. Flowering time is from June to August.

The plant has large light green leaf blades with a sharp end and tall stems reaching 120 centimeters. Inflorescences are large, racemose. They are white, white-pink, white-purple, white-red and white-purple.

- a perennial culture reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and has large leaf plates with a pointed end of a maroon hue. Inflorescences are bell-shaped in white, pink, purple and red. The flowering time of the plant falls in the summer.

- a stunted plant with long, narrow leaf plates of a dark olive hue. The inflorescences are dense, resembling a snapdragon, sky-blue saturated color. The flowering time of penstemon will fall in June and last until September.

- this variety of penstemon reaches a height of up to 60 centimeters and has maroon leaf plates with a narrow end. The inflorescences of the culture are racemes of a pinkish-white hue. The flowering time of the plant lasts all summer.

- the culture reaches a height of up to 80 centimeters and has high lignified stems. The leaves of the plant are green, with a sharp end. The flowers are large cream-colored with a purple center and streaks. The plant blooms from June to September.

- the height of the culture reaches up to 30 centimeters. Stems erect, woody with dark green lanceolate foliage. Inflorescences are large, bright yellow, blooming luxuriantly. The flowering time of penstemon lasts from June to August.

Penstemon planting and care in the open field

Penstemon is a light-loving plant, for this reason, a well-lit area should be chosen for its planting, but drafts should be avoided. The soil for the culture should be selected light with good drainage.

The plant can be planted in open ground both by seedlings and by seeds. To grow seedlings, take a container with fertile soil and in February, sow seeds in it, deepening them a little into the soil and moistening the ground with a spray bottle. From above, the seeds must be sprinkled with roasted sand, then re-moistened, covered with a film and put in a warm, sunny place for germination.

After two weeks, the first young plants will begin to appear. In order for penstemon to germinate faster, the temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained at least + 20 degrees, ventilate once a day and monitor soil moisture.

When the first leaf plates appear, the young should be planted in peat pots. At the end of May, the plants must be transferred to open ground, taking care of the soil and drainage in advance. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the earlier the plants are planted in the garden, the later they will begin to bloom.

Torenia is also a member of the Norichnikov family. Grown in home care without special trouble, if you follow the rules of agricultural technology. You can find all the necessary recommendations in this article.

Watering penstemon

The flower needs regular watering, it is especially important if the summer is dry. However, you need to make sure that the soil has time to dry out between waterings.

So that the water does not stagnate and the root system can "breathe", when planting the young, care should be taken to ensure good drainage in the form of a layer of coarse sand or fine expanded clay laid on the bottom of the planting pit.

To reduce the frequency of watering, mulch the soil around the plants with compost or dry peat. Also, after each watering, the earth must be loosened and weeds must be broken through.

Soil for penstemon

The soil for the culture should be chosen with high acidity, nutritious, well-drained and loose.

For this purpose garden soil mixed with compost, peat, sand or fine gravel. In order to achieve the desired level of acidity, charcoal is added to the soil.

Penstemon transplant

So that the plant does not lose its decorative properties, it should be replanted every five years. Usually transplantation is performed in the spring, by bush division. For this purpose, take mature plant, carefully dig it out and divide it into parts, trying not to damage root system.

After that, the resulting delenki are transferred to a new bed, not forgetting to create a drainage layer. When the plants are planted, the soil should be lightly pressed, watered and mulched. The adaptation time of the plant takes about a month.

Fertilizer for penstemon

The first top dressing as compost is mixed into the soil when planting young animals. organic fertilizers bring under the bushes three times a season.

Before the flowering of culture, experienced gardeners recommend the use of complex mineral top dressing with a high content of phosphorus. With its help, you can enhance flowering and affect decorative characteristics colors.

Blooming penstemon

The flowering time of the plant falls in June and can last both until the end of summer and until the first frost. Everything will depend on the variety. The flowers of the culture may look like bluebells or snapdragons.

Mostly, the buds are collected in dense large brushes of white, pink, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow shades, and there are also varieties with two-tone colors. After flowering, seeds begin to form, which are used to propagate the crop.

Pruning penstemon

The plant needs cardinal pruning only in late autumn in preparation for winter.

During the growing season, it is necessary to remove wilted leaves, stems and inflorescences, as well as thin out overgrown shrubs.

Preparing penstemon for winter

Some varieties of penstemon in our climatic zone are grown as perennials, due to their southern origin. Perennials, in preparation for winter, are cut at the root and covered with a layer of dry foliage or spruce branches.

So that in the spring the melting of snow does not cause the root system to get wet, the plant needs to provide good drainage during planting and every spring to remove the snow mass from the planting site when it starts to melt.

Penstemon growing from seeds

The most common way to propagate penstemon is to grow a plant seed way. Seeds can be purchased at the store or collected independently after they ripen.

If you grow penstemon from seeds, then they should be sown either in autumn or in spring, when the threat of frost recedes. Sow seeds immediately in open ground, sprinkled with a small layer of soil.

Some species need stratification, such as alpine penstemon. To do this, they can be sown before the winter period, in October-November, in open ground, but it is more reliable to sow in a container, barely sprinkled with sand or soil on top.

A container with sown seeds is first kept in a room with room temperature for about three weeks, the seeds swell in moist soil and heat. Then they cover the container with one layer of lutrasil and take it out into the garden.

Lutrasil on the container must be secured by any convenient way, for example, they tie it around the pot with an elastic band, otherwise it will be blown away by the wind - this shelter is done so that weed seeds do not get into the container with the sown seeds with the wind.

The container is left in the garden for at least two months, where they undergo natural stratification in the cold season. If there is snow on the ground, the removed container is completely covered with it - melted snow water has a beneficial effect on seed germination.

In the spring, a bowl with crops is brought into a greenhouse or germination room. The first shoots may appear in ten days. Some of the seeds bloom already in the year of sowing.

Penstemon propagation by cuttings

To obtain planting material, you should cut off the shoots on which there are no flowers. Then they must be treated with a root formation stimulator and placed in moist soil in a shady area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe garden, covered with half a plastic bottle.

After the roots are formed, the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place of growth.

Propagation of penstemon by layering

Weaving and weaving are suitable for rooting by layering. undersized varieties. For this purpose, the extreme shoot should be bent to the ground and sprinkled with soil.

In a month, roots will appear on the layering and then it will need to be separated, dug out of the ground and transplanted into a prepared hole.

Penstemon reproduction by dividing the bush

This method of reproduction is used during transplantation. To get planting material, an adult plant needs to be dug up, the root system must be cleaned of soil and the bush divided into several parts. Then each delenka should be planted in a separate hole at a permanent place of growth.

It is important to note that only those plants that are already three years old are suitable for propagation by bush division. If the division is carried out earlier, they will die.

Division for the purpose of rejuvenation is carried out every five years. It is not worth abandoning the procedure, as the culture begins to age, ceases to form new shoots, bloom, and eventually loses its decorative effect.

Diseases and pests

Most often, when growing this crop, gardeners are faced with drying of the tops of penstemon . If such a problem is found, the penstemon should be cut off at the root. Failure to take such a drastic measure will lead to the death of the plant. After pruning, it will quickly recover and release new shoots.

With a strong flood of soil and stagnation of water in the root system, gray rot develops, which makes itself felt by the withering of the stems of the plant . To save penstemon, it is necessary to loosen the soil and water the culture with a fungicide solution.

Since the plant is not interesting to pests, you can not be afraid of their invasion.

Conclusion

Growing a plant is not difficult. Even a novice gardener can cope with this task. The culture is moderately capricious, it is easy to propagate and it can quite successfully grow in our climatic zone.

It is for this reason that every gardener who loves beautiful, bright and unusual plants, is simply obliged to have at least one instance of penstemon in his garden.

Luxurious racemes of penstemons will decorate your garden from early summer until the first autumn frosts. These profusely flowering plants are mostly evergreen perennials and shrubs. According to their habit, they vary from miniature pillows common in the highlands, great for rock gardens, to large upright bushy forms that look good in borders and on discounts. Most small species best grown in raised beds. Relatively compact varieties feel great in tubs. Alpine penstemons bloom from early to mid-summer, and flower beds from early summer to early autumn.

The flowers are tubular, about 2.5 cm long, mostly blue, purple or red. They are collected in racemose inflorescences. Five lobes of the corolla form a two-lipped limb. The pharynx is often bearded (hairy). The leaves are green, usually lanceolate, opposite, 2.5-15 cm long. In cold winters, they may fall off, although the plants are in principle evergreen. Some species are short-lived and difficult to grow. Most varieties are thermophilic and die in frosts, therefore, in middle lane In Russia, they are grown as annuals and are promptly grafted.

The birthplace of penstemons is S. and C. America. The plants discussed below belong to two garden groups: alpine and curb.

• Alpine penstemons

P. alpinus (P. alpine)

Cold-resistant species with lush tassels of blue, usually with a lilac tinge of flowers about 2.5 cm long. The height and diameter of the plant is 15-60x20 cm.

P. campanulatus (syn. P. kunthii) (P. bell-shaped, P. Kunta)

A relatively cold-resistant species, forming loose bunches of long racemes with narrow, usually purple flowers. The height and diameter of the plant is 50x30 cm.

Cardwellii (P. Cardwell)

Narrow lilac-violet flowers up to 2.5 cm long are collected in short brushes. The leaves are small, oval, finely toothed. This squat shrub is one of the best views rock gardens. The height and diameter of the plant is 30x20 cm.

P. confertus (P. crowded)

A rather cold-resistant species, forming compact bushes with apical racemes of densely spaced whorls of small creamy yellow flowers. The height and diameter of the plant is 40x20 cm.

Davidsonii (P. Davidson)

Semi-shrub with racemes of lilac flowers among small glossy leaves. The height and diameter of the plant is 20x30 cm.

Fruticosus (P. shrubby)

The bluish-lavender flowers of this upright shrub are collected in brushes, which protrude far from the pad with wide oval leathery leaves. The height and diameter of the plant is 15-40x30 cm.

Cold hardy subshrub with blue-violet flowers and lanceolate leaves. The height and diameter of the plant is 50x30 cm.

Newberryi (P. Newberry)

Semi-shrub with pink or dark pink flowers blooming in early summer. The height and diameter of the plant is 15-40x30 cm.

P. pinifolius (P. pinifolius)

Semi-shrub with light green needle-shaped leaves, giving loose racemes of narrow bright orange-red flowers. The height and diameter of the plant is 25x30 cm.

P. richarsonii (P. Richardson)

This relatively cold-resistant plant forms a cushion bush with outstretched and rising shoots. Loose racemes of purple or lavender flowers, 2.5 cm long, appear in late summer. Looks especially good at the base of the wall. The height and diameter of the plant is 20x60 cm.

Penstemon is a perennial shrub or semi-shrub culture. The plant is native to North and Central America. The flower belongs to the genus Norichnikovyh, although foreign botanists attribute it to the plantain family, of which there are over 250 species.

General information

The Latin name of the plant, translated into Russian, sounds like "almost a stamen." Due to the fact that the flower has one sterile stamen of a bizarre shape, protruding far beyond the petals, and in England the penstemon is called the "bearded tongue", in view of this feature.

For our gardens, this culture is still rare. But due to its brightness and unusual appearance, it is also being grown in our climatic zone. The plant blooms in early June and blooms for two to three months. It is not difficult to grow it, the main thing is to follow the advice of experienced gardeners and then the plant will delight with its bright colors every spring.

Penstemon varieties and types of photos with the name

- is a herbaceous bushy perennial with straight stems and lanceolate dark green leaf blades. The height of the culture reaches 1.2 meters. Flowers can be both tubular and bell-shaped. They are collected in paniculate inflorescences, having white, red, lilac, pinkish and other colors. The plant blooms from early to late summer.

- the culture reaches a height of up to 1 meter. Inflorescences are large, light pink. The flowering time of the plant falls at the beginning of summer and lasts for a month. The variety is frost-resistant and can endure winter without warming.

- This variety is characterized by abundant and early flowering. The height of the bush reaches up to 90 centimeters. The inflorescences have an unusual color - inside they are white, and scarlet on the outside. Flowering time begins in May and lasts until the end of July.

- the plant was bred relatively recently. It is frost-resistant and profusely flowering. Leaf plates are maroon in color, lanceolate in shape. Pale pink flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. The culture reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and blooms throughout the summer.

- the height of the culture reaches 60 centimeters. Leaf plates are bright green lanceolate. Stems thin, woody. Inflorescences paniculate purple hue. This variety blooms from July to October.

Outwardly, the variety resembles a snapdragon flower. The plant reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters. The inflorescences are large, collected in unusual brushes. Shades of flowers can be white-scarlet, orange, red and purple. Flowering time lasts from mid-summer to the first frost.

- undersized herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of up to 30 centimeters. Leaf plates are medium, lanceolate, green. Inflorescences are small lilac. The plant blooms from early summer to mid-autumn.

- the plant reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and has maroon leaves and stems. Inflorescences are white, racemose with a pleasant aroma. The culture blooms from June to the end of August.

- the stems of the plant reach a height of up to 90 centimeters. The flowers are small, resembling bells of a pinkish-lilac hue. The leaf blades are lanceolate and light green in color. The plant blooms from June to September.

- a herbaceous perennial reaches a height of 70 centimeters. Leaf plates are lanceolate, green-brown. Inflorescences whitish-pink, racemose. Flowering time lasts from May to October.

It is a spectacular annual, reaching a height of up to 80 centimeters. Leaf blades are dark green, lanceolate with a sharp end. The flowers are small, bell-shaped blue and light purple. The culture blooms from June to September.

- is a short, bushy perennial, reaching a height of up to 30 centimeters. The leaves are dark green, lanceolate with a slight pubescence. The flowers are small, outwardly resembling a purple bell. The flowering time of the plant is in the summer.

- the variety is characterized by short stature and reaches a height of up to 45 centimeters. The leaves are dark green with a sharp end. Inflorescences racemose, long, two-tone white-blue or white-red. The culture blooms from July to September.

- bushy perennial reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters. The leaves are dark green, medium with a pointed end. Inflorescences are large, two-tone white-red, white-pink and white-burgundy. The culture blooms throughout the summer.

- a variety of undersized, reaching a height of up to 20 centimeters. The bush has a lush, dark green foliage and pubescent, lanceolate leaf blades. Inflorescences racemose pale lavender. Flowering time is from June to August.

The plant has large light green leaf blades with a sharp end and tall stems reaching 120 centimeters. Inflorescences are large, racemose. They are white, white-pink, white-purple, white-red and white-purple.

- a perennial culture reaches a height of up to 70 centimeters and has large leaf plates with a pointed end of a maroon hue. Inflorescences are bell-shaped in white, pink, purple and red. The flowering time of the plant falls in the summer.

- a stunted plant with long, narrow leaf plates of a dark olive hue. The inflorescences are dense, resembling a snapdragon, sky-blue saturated color. The flowering time of penstemon will fall in June and last until September.

- this variety of penstemon reaches a height of up to 60 centimeters and has maroon leaf plates with a narrow end. The inflorescences of the culture are racemes of a pinkish-white hue. The flowering time of the plant lasts all summer.

- the culture reaches a height of up to 80 centimeters and has high lignified stems. The leaves of the plant are green, with a sharp end. The flowers are large cream-colored with a purple center and streaks. The plant blooms from June to September.

- the height of the culture reaches up to 30 centimeters. Stems erect, woody with dark green lanceolate foliage. Inflorescences are large, bright yellow, blooming luxuriantly. The flowering time of penstemon lasts from June to August.

Penstemon planting and care in the open field

Penstemon is a light-loving plant, for this reason, a well-lit area should be chosen for its planting, but drafts should be avoided. The soil for the culture should be selected light with good drainage.

The plant can be planted in open ground both by seedlings and by seeds. To grow seedlings, you should take a container with fertile soil and sow seeds in it in February, deepening them a little into the soil and moistening the ground with a spray bottle. From above, the seeds must be sprinkled with roasted sand, then re-moistened, covered with a film and put in a warm, sunny place for germination.

After two weeks, the first young plants will begin to appear. In order for penstemon to germinate faster, the temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained at least + 20 degrees, ventilate once a day and monitor soil moisture.

When the first leaf plates appear, the young should be planted in peat pots. At the end of May, the plants must be transferred to open ground, taking care of the soil and drainage in advance. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the earlier the plants are planted in the garden, the later they will begin to bloom.

Torenia is also a member of the Norichnikov family. It is grown when caring at home without much hassle, if you follow the rules of agricultural technology. You can find all the necessary recommendations in this article.

Watering penstemon

The flower needs regular watering, it is especially important if the summer is dry. However, you need to make sure that the soil has time to dry out between waterings.

So that the water does not stagnate and the root system can "breathe", when planting the young, care should be taken to ensure good drainage in the form of a layer of coarse sand or fine expanded clay laid on the bottom of the planting pit.

To reduce the frequency of watering, mulch the soil around the plants with compost or dry peat. Also, after each watering, the earth must be loosened and weeds must be broken through.

Soil for penstemon

The soil for the culture should be chosen with high acidity, nutritious, well-drained and loose.

For this purpose, garden soil is mixed with compost, peat, sand or fine gravel. In order to achieve the desired level of acidity, charcoal is added to the soil.

Penstemon transplant

So that the plant does not lose its decorative properties, it should be replanted every five years. Usually transplantation is performed in the spring, by bush division. For this purpose, an adult plant is taken, carefully dug up and divided into parts, trying not to damage the root system.

After that, the resulting delenki are transferred to a new bed, not forgetting to create a drainage layer. When the plants are planted, the soil should be lightly pressed, watered and mulched. The adaptation time of the plant takes about a month.

Fertilizer for penstemon

The first top dressing as compost is mixed into the soil when planting young animals. Organic fertilizers are applied under the bushes three times a season.

Before the flowering of the crop, experienced gardeners recommend using a complex mineral dressing with a high phosphorus content. With its help, you can enhance flowering and affect the decorative characteristics of flowers.

Blooming penstemon

The flowering time of the plant falls in June and can last both until the end of summer and until the first frost. Everything will depend on the variety. The flowers of the culture may look like bluebells or snapdragons.

Mostly, the buds are collected in dense large brushes of white, pink, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow shades, and there are also varieties with two-tone colors. After flowering, seeds begin to form, which are used to propagate the crop.

Pruning penstemon

The plant needs cardinal pruning only in late autumn in preparation for winter.

During the growing season, it is necessary to remove wilted leaves, stems and inflorescences, as well as thin out overgrown shrubs.

Preparing penstemon for winter

Some varieties of penstemon in our climatic zone are grown as perennials, due to their southern origin. Perennials, in preparation for winter, are cut at the root and covered with a layer of dry foliage or spruce branches.

So that in the spring the melting of snow does not cause the root system to get wet, the plant needs to provide good drainage during planting and every spring to remove the snow mass from the planting site when it starts to melt.

Penstemon growing from seeds

The most common way to propagate penstemon is to grow the plant by seed. Seeds can be purchased at the store or collected independently after they ripen.

If you grow penstemon from seeds, then they should be sown either in autumn or in spring, when the threat of frost recedes. Sow seeds immediately in open ground, sprinkled with a small layer of soil.

Some species need stratification, such as alpine penstemon. To do this, they can be sown before the winter period, in October-November, in open ground, but it is more reliable to sow in a container, barely sprinkled with sand or soil on top.

A container with sown seeds is first kept in a room with room temperature for about three weeks, the seeds swell in moist soil and heat. Then they cover the container with one layer of lutrasil and take it out into the garden.

Lutrasil on the container must be fixed in any convenient way, for example, it is tied around the pot with an elastic band, otherwise it will be blown away by the wind - this shelter is made so that weed seeds do not get into the container with the sown seeds with the wind.

The container is left in the garden for at least two months, where they undergo natural stratification in the cold season. If there is snow on the ground, the removed container is completely covered with it - melted snow water has a beneficial effect on seed germination.

In the spring, a bowl with crops is brought into a greenhouse or germination room. The first shoots may appear in ten days. Some of the seeds bloom already in the year of sowing.

Penstemon propagation by cuttings

To get planting material, shoots that do not have flowers should be cut. Then they must be treated with a root formation stimulator and placed in moist soil in a shady area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe garden, covered with half a plastic bottle.

After the roots are formed, the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place of growth.

Propagation of penstemon by layering

Weaving and undersized varieties are suitable for rooting by layering. For this purpose, the extreme shoot should be bent to the ground and sprinkled with soil.

In a month, roots will appear on the layering and then it will need to be separated, dug out of the ground and transplanted into a prepared hole.

Penstemon reproduction by dividing the bush

This method of reproduction is used during transplantation. To get planting material, an adult plant needs to be dug up, the root system must be cleaned of soil and the bush divided into several parts. Then each delenka should be planted in a separate hole at a permanent place of growth.

It is important to note that only those plants that are already three years old are suitable for propagation by bush division. If the division is carried out earlier, they will die.

Division for the purpose of rejuvenation is carried out every five years. It is not worth abandoning the procedure, as the culture begins to age, ceases to form new shoots, bloom, and eventually loses its decorative effect.

Diseases and pests

Most often, when growing this crop, gardeners are faced with drying of the tops of penstemon . If such a problem is found, the penstemon should be cut off at the root. Failure to take such a drastic measure will lead to the death of the plant. After pruning, it will quickly recover and release new shoots.

With a strong flood of soil and stagnation of water in the root system, gray rot develops, which makes itself felt by the withering of the stems of the plant . To save penstemon, it is necessary to loosen the soil and water the culture with a fungicide solution.

Since the plant is not interesting to pests, you can not be afraid of their invasion.

Conclusion

Growing a plant is not difficult. Even a novice gardener can cope with this task. The culture is moderately capricious, it is easy to propagate and it can quite successfully grow in our climatic zone.

It is for this reason that every gardener who loves beautiful, bright and unusual plants is simply obliged to have at least one instance of penstemon in his garden.