Penstemon hybrida Pensham Czar - Beardtongue

The Penstemon 'Pensham Czar' is an especially floriferous variety of beardtongue. This hybrid produces on strong, sturdy stems an abundance of large campanulate flowers in a bright violet color, enlivened by a beautiful white throat, offering a very bright contrast from a distance. Indifferent to rain and dry soils, this excellent perennial flowers freely, continuously for almost 5 months. Its semi-evergreen foliage deters slugs and proves long-lasting in well-drained soil.

The hybrid Penstemon 'Pensham Czar' is a bushy, woody perennial plant belonging to the scrophulariaceae family, just like foxgloves and snapdragons. Like many hybrid penstemons, it is the result of cross-breeding several species, mostly native to Central and North America. This variety quickly forms upright, bushy clumps, reaching a height of 50 cm (20in), with a minimum diameter of 40 cm (16in). Its green, ramified stems are covered with abundant, lanceolate, semi-evergreen foliage, of a bright green color. The flowering period extends from June to September-October as long as faded flowers are regularly removed. It develops at the terminal end of leafy stems. The flowers, in the shape of bell-shaped, pendulous tubes, long and wide at 4.5 cm (2in), are clustered together. They display a particularly contrasting color, a violet shade leaning towards purple, around a wide white throat.

The beardtongue 'Pensham Czar' can be used in mass plantings or even as a border plant, due to its rather compact habit. It can be planted among perennials such as agapanthus, botanical daylilies, purple or violet dahlias, or mixed with annuals such as love-in-a-mist and cosmos. It particularly complements the acidic green tones of lady's mantle and euphorbias. It also performs very well in a large pot, with proper drainage and regular fertilizer applications. Penstemons also make excellent cut flowers.