Penstemon hybrida Hewell Pink Bedder - Beardtongue

Penstemon hybrid 'Hewell Pink Bedder' is a variety of hybrid Penstemon that is still relatively rare in gardens. It will charm with its generosity and the very pink colour of its tubular flowers where true pink, light pink, and rosy white mingle, opening up to a striated light purple throat. They bloom in dense clusters throughout the summer on a bushy plant of beautiful dimensions with a pleasantly relaxed habit. Bring a refined touch to a large natural flowerbed with this delightfully rustic perennial, compose beautiful blooming pots to adorn your balcony, and create delicate summer bouquets with its flowers.

The 'Hewell Pink Bedder' Penstemon is a bushy and woody perennial plant not very hardy in wet and poorly drained soil. It belongs to the family of scrophulariaceae, just like foxgloves and snapdragons. This variety has been awarded in England with an A.G.M. by the Royal Horticultural Society for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden. Like many hybrid penstemons, it is the result of cross-breeding several species, mostly native to Central and North America. This variety forms beautiful upright clumps measuring 80cm (32in) in all directions, with branched stems covered in abundant semi-evergreen foliage that is somewhat greyish-green. Its growth is quite rapid, reaching its adult size within 4 or 5 years. Flowering occurs from June to August, developing on the upper part of leafy stems. The campanulate flowers, shaped like long bells, are clustered tightly together. Each flower, adorned with precious and very precise patterns, displays different shades ranging from deep pink to almost white.

The 'Hewell Pink Bedder' penstemon is used in a large bed of low shrubs or flowers, among plants such as bellflowers, coreopsis, fleabane, catmint, evening primrose, phlox, persicaria, and asters. It also pairs well with countryside annuals such as love-in-a-mist, cornflowers, or cosmos. It will blend among the rocks in a rock garden (in soil that is not too chalky) with lavender cotton, rockroses, or wormwood. It also performs very well in pots, with proper drainage and regular watering and fertilizing. Penstemons also make excellent cut flowers.