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| 'Husker's Red' foliage May 20, 2010 |
Penstemon
barbatus 'Husker's Red''Husker's Red' has gorgeous deep wine colored stems and foliage, and it makes a strong, shining statement in the early garden. The flowers are a delicate white with red markings, and are very pretty on tall spikes, making an elegant contrast with the dark foliage.
Don't add any fertilizer. Keep mulch away, keep crown above soil, and keep these dry. They are short lived.
Cut penstemons back by 1/3 early spring. To deadhead, cut back spent blooms all the way to the base of the stalk. Deadheading is important for beardtonge to thrive, but leave some stalks for reseeding.
'Husker's Red' is at the back of the Birch Gardena and along the patio wall, and a stray seedling popped up at the end of the gravel garden.
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| 5/2/12 |
When it comes up in spring the foliage is deep maroon and gorgeous. When flowering, penstemon is floppy and needs to staked.
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| 6/7/12 |
In 2013 'Husker's Red' bloomed beautifully in the Birch Garden. Its complex frothiness gets a little lost next to the delicate frothiness of the white baptisia.
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| 6/12/13 |
I moved most of 'Husker's Red' in spring 2014, but left just three clumps at the back of the Birch garden.
The rest were dug up and moved to the patio, right against the wall and near the river birch. Their frilliness is much better appreciated near the hard structures of wall and birdbath and tree trunk than they were when surrounded by other small flowered plants in the Birch garden.
They really looked nice blooming by the patio and I could see them up close. They were particularly nice with the deep blue of the 'Blue Ice' amsonias flowering at the same time.
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| 6/25/14 |
I have learned that these pretty plants don't work well on their own -- although 'Husker's Red' foliage is striking and the flowers are beautiful, as standalone plants by themselves or in a drift, they look messy. But up against the patio wall, they add a nice accent.
Penstemons need something around them to really shine.
