Penstemon Identification

When we set out as budding Penstemon growers we had very limited real knowledge of the flowering plants that give us so much pleasure. We could recognize the more common (or I should say popular) plants such as Penstemon Husker's Red or Penstemon Apple Blossom but it soon became apparent that there are so many more to choose from.

Penstemon Hidcote Pink flower

Penstemon Raspberry Ice flower

Penstemon Flamingo flower

Penstemon Heavenly Blue flower

Penstemon barbatus coccineus flower

Batches and batches of seeds and thousands of plants later we had more Penstemon plants than we had counted on.

To identify the names of some of our Penstemons we had to go beyond the seed packets and supplier's descriptions that we had started with. Why? Many of our plants were grouped together as one species, of which there are many, many more named varieties. Another reason is the cat mix up effect. What is that I hear you ask? Well we started with tray upon tray of Penstemon seeds, all perfectly labelled with the name of the seed, in some cases the supplier and the date sown. Our beloved cats tried to aid germination by giving their own body warmth by sleeping in the trays. This didn't stop the seeds from germinating but the swap around sleeping arrangements meant that the seeds were mixed into other trays. The result of this later, when potted, labelled and flowering was that the plants were not the same as the named variety that they should be!

Lots of time and lots of careful study has resulted in clearly and properly named Penstemons. The plant information is more specific and the photographs try to give a close up view of the flowers as well as a whole plant view. With this comes the benefit of choosing the right Penstemon. There diversity is extraordinary. 

For me Penstemon identification isn't easy (due to all of the misinformation out there) but it is fascinating and enjoyable. Perhaps identification isn't that important if you just love the flower and growth habit but if you do want to identify a particular Penstemon that you have and can't remember the name for then here are my tips for searching.

• Check growth habit - is it upright, bushy, shrubby?
• What colour leaves does it have - are they green, blue-green, red?
• What type of leaves does it have - lance-like, rounded, toothed, smooth, glossy? Are the leaves small or large? Are they equally divided on the stems or do they grow basally?
• What size is the overall plant? Is it low growing, medium sized or very tall?
• Does it have small, medium or large flowers? How do the flowers grow?
• Look at your plant at different times of the year as some Penstemon foliage changes colour with the seasons and some are evergreen.

If you would like to learn more about Penstemons click here http://www.penstemonsandherbs.com/Penstemon-Facts(2850801).htm