Penstemon digitalis Pocahontas - Foxglove beardtongue

The Penstemon digitalis 'Pocahontas' is a beautiful improvement on older cultivars with purplish foliage, such as 'Husker Red' or 'Pink Dawn'. This Penstemon is an exceptional variety because of its foliage, which is strongly tinted with purple for much of the season, and its impressive stature. On this beautiful and richly coloured bushy vegetation, numerous campanulate flowers bloom in June-July with a lovely lavender-pink colour, arranged in abundant clusters on stems of a deep burgundy red. Invite it into a large flower bed or even among your favourite bushes: this Penstemon has a strong personality and is elegant and charming!

Penstemon digitalis belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family, just like the foxglove, whose flowers are similar. The 'digitalis' Penstemon is native to North America. It is mainly found in the eastern and southeastern United States, growing in dry areas such as meadows or open forests on well-drained, loamy or sandy soil. The hybrid variety 'Pocahontas', recently introduced in the USA, results from cross-breeding between a variety of Penstemon digitalis with dark red foliage and the compact cultivar 'Pink Dawn' with dark pink flowers.

The 'Pocahontas' Penstemon grows from a robust base, forming a basal rosette of large deciduous leaves measuring up to 20 cm (8in) in length and 6 cm (2in) in width. They are a shiny purple-green on the upper side and a wine-red on the underside. In June, thick and hairy stems rise to a burgundy-red colour, reaching a diameter of up to 8 mm (0in) and a height of 90 cm (35in). They are adorned with smaller leaves, dark purple, which become slightly greener over time. At their tips, tubular flowers with five lobes bloom on numerous branches, each measuring about 25 mm (1in) in length and 14 mm (1in) in width. They are grouped in pairs on beautiful clusters measuring 15 cm (6in) in length. Each cluster or panicle can have up to 80 flowers, totalling 3000 flowers per plant. Their colour is a pastel mauve-pink. This variety is hardy in healthy soil.

The 'Pocahontas' Penstemon deserves a prime location: in a bed of perennials or sun-loving bushes, it stands out in June. It can be planted with old roses (Salet, Yolande d'Aragon) or English roses (Heritage, Brother Cadfael) and with deutzias. But also, in a more minimalist style, with beautiful blue grasses like oats or the Schizachyrium scoparium Prairie Blues, or with nicely coloured Panicum Shenandoah or Cheyenne Sky. It will blend with not-too-tall ceanothus, rosemary, cotton lavenders, rockroses, or wormwoods. It also performs very well in pots, with proper drainage and regular fertiliser. Penstemons also make excellent cut flowers.