Penstemon barbatus Cambridge Mixture

The Penstemon from the 'Cambridge Mixture' selection blooms throughout the summer, mixing their shades of pink, blue or violet drooping spikes depending on the plants. With a compact habit, these perennials form pretty clumps adorned with green-grey foliage that remains neat throughout the growing season. Perfect for borders and sunny containers, these plants also create a stunning display with grasses in a bed or a wildflower bouquet. They are hardy and easy to grow in well-drained and fertile soil.

The 'Cambridge Mixture' gentlemen's beard is a horticultural hybrid derived from the Penstemon barbatus, a short-lived bushy herbaceous perennial plant native to the mountains of the western United States (Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas), where it grows up to 4000 meters (13123 feet) in altitude. All penstemons belong to the family of Scrophulariaceae.

The plants in the 'Cambridge Mixture' blend flower 4 to 5 months after sowing, and their growth is very rapid. Each forms a basal clump consisting of elongated, pointed, linear green-grey leaves, which emerge more or less early in summer, with sparsely leafed flower stems reaching about 30 cm (12in) in height. The tubular bell-shaped flowers, 4 to 5 cm (2in) long, are distributed along the stem. They come in various shades of pink, blue, and purple. This flowering lasts for several weeks and is visited by pollinating insects. A multitude of seeds is dispersed after flowering. This plant has a deep root system, which sometimes makes transplantation difficult but allows it to find some coolness in depth. The foliage of these gentlemen's beards was persistent, more or less depending on the severity of the winter.

Plant the Penstemon barbatus 'Cambridge' Mixture in sunny, well-drained borders alongside perennial salvias, hyssops, wallflowers, and grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbergia capillaris, for example. In the background, choose tall perennials such as the spectacular South African daisy Berkheya purpurea, hollyhocks, toadflaxes, or foxgloves in the same range of colours. Penstemon is a cheerful, charming, light plant that will keep company with annual poppies, blue starflowers of asters, and love-in-a-mist flowers. It is also a very beautiful flower for bouquets.