| Description | Dark Towers Penstemon is a long blooming Penstemon with pink flowers and wine red foliage. Reported to be better than P. Huskers Red. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (pen-STE-mon) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-8 |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average, somewhat drought tolerant once established |
| Soil & Site | average, well drained, avoid wet soggy soil |
| Flowers | pale pink, two lipped, tubular borne on terminal racemes dark purple seed pods |
| Fruit | dark purple seed pods |
| Leaves | dark wine red, the darkness of the leaves will depend on the amount of light |
| Dimensions | the ones in my garden reached 36-40 by 24-26 inches (HS) mounded after cutting back |
| Maintenance | If needed, this plant can be cut back hard to the basal foliage. I have never been required to do this because the plant seems to hold up. I like to cut off the flower stalks that are weeping and leave the rest since the seed pods are ornamental. Some outside branches tend to weep over, and these can be removed. |
| Propagation | division in the spring |
| Cultivar Origin | Created by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska, USA. A cross between P. digitalis 'Husker Red' and P. 'Prairie Splendor.' Introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries in Oregon, USA. |
| Author's Notes | I planted three in my garden in 2014. The flowers were a clear pink. A good companion plant is Sedum Pure Joy, with its mound of soft pink flowers. In 2016 I divided the plants in half and created a large mass planting. In 2023 still growing strong. |
| Notes & Reference | #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens web site (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org), #203- North Creek Nursery (www.northcreeknurseries.com), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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