Beard Tongue

Penstemon Hidcote Pink

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: July to October
• Hardiness: fully hardy (borderline)
  
  Elegant spikes of small, tubular, foxglove-like flowers appear from July to October among lance-shaped, bright green leaves. This pretty, easy-to-grow perennial is named after plantsman Laurence Johnston's famous Arts and Crafts garden in Gloucestershire. It will quickly form large, leafy clumps and is perfect for adding a splash of colour to the middle of a sunny, well-drained border. If you deadhead regularly, the flowers will persist until the first frosts. The delicate pink flowers of this variety have white throats striped with pink, like seaside rock, which contrast particularly well with deep reds or with wispy grasses.
  
  
• Garden care: Remove the faded blooms regularly to prolong flowering. Apply a dry mulch around the base of the plant to protect the roots from frost damage and cut back in spring when new shoots appear low down on the stem. Lift and divide congested clumps in spring.