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PenstemonCommon name; Beard Tongue A half hardy to hardy perennial depending upon location in the UK Because of this borderline hardiness, a hard winter may result in serious losses, so it is advisable to propagate plants each year, particularly if you have a number named cultivars The 50mm (2") long ‘snapdragon’ like flowers appears in June/July on plants around 600mm (24") high.
Week 10; Sow in trays/pots of seed compost, and germinate at a temperature of 18°C (65°F). Note; named cultivars from saved seed are unlikely to come true. Germination should take one to four weeks depending upon variety.
Week 13>; Prick out seedlings into 75mm (3") pots of potting compost when large enough to handle, and grow on at a temperature of 16°-18°C (61°-64°F) until planting out time in May.
Week 14>; Cut down plants to ground level if not done the previous autumn.
Week 16; Take cuttings of vigorous cultivars now and they may flower later in the year. Follow the procedure detailed below, but as opposed to placing cuttings in a cold frame put them on a hot bed to speed up the rooting process.
Week 19; Plant out at 400-500mm centres in a sunny sheltered spot with free draining soil, (they are intolerant to wet conditions). If not done last October, cut established plants down to ground level. Pot up rooted cuttings into individual 70mm(3") pots.
Week 33; Tip cuttings can be taken any time in the growing season, but it is always a wise precaution to strike cuttings in case of losses over winter. Select non-flowering tip cuttings about 100-120mm (4”-5”) long and trim with a sharp knife to just below a leaf node. Carefully remove the bottom leaves and trim the top and side leaves by up to a third to reduce dehydration. Dip the cutting in hormone rooting gel / powder and insert into a pot / tray containing a 50:50 mixture of multipurpose compost and vermiculite . Place pots / trays in a cold frame to root
Week 36; Pot up rooted cuttings into 70mm (3”) pots containing potting compost and grow on in a frost free spot. Plant out rooted cuttings the following May.
Week 42; Cut the plants down to ground level in October and protect the crowns with cloches.
Alternatively; leave the tops on as winter protection and cut down to ground level April/May. A further alternative would be to cut down the plants as indicated above (Week 42) and dig them up, reduce the root ball to a size to fit into a 125-150mm (5"-6") pot, then place the pot/s in a cold frame or cool greenhouse to over winter. The greatest benefits arising from this method is; The plant/s do not require cutting down in spring. The new root system is able to progress undisturbed, even when potting up into larger pots as the season progresses. Further benefit also comes if you want to increase stock, i.e. the plant/s can be brought into warmer conditions early in the season to produce ‘cutting material’ and it also gets them off to an earlier start, and subsequently earlier flowering.
Pests & Diseases; Eelworm; are microscopic nematodes that live within the foliage. In late summer the infestation generally starts on the lower leaves then spreads upwards causing the foliage to become purplish then brown as the leaves dry out. There are no pesticides available to the amateur gardeners, so it is best to destroy any infested plants.
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