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Pensham Penstemon collection

beard tongue

Pensham Penstemon collection

beard tongue

  • 1 × collection
  • £26.97 £8.99 each
  • available to order from summer
  • 3 × collections
  • £80.91 £8.99 each
  • available to order from summer
Delivery options
  • Standard £5.99
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil
  • Rate of growth: average
  • Flowering period: July to October
  • Hardiness: frost hardy (will need winter protection in cold areas)


A mix of elegant Pensham penstemons with tall, airy flower spikes in shades of plum purple, violet-blue and crisp white. These long-flowering perennials bring height, contrast and movement to sunny borders from early summer into autumn, forming neat leafy clumps while weaving naturally through grasses and other cottage garden planting.


In this collection you will receive one of each of the following, supplied as 9cm plants.

  • Penstemon 'Pensham Bilberry Ice': Dark purple stems rise from a neat clump of deep green, lance-shaped leaves, carrying a generous run of tubular blooms that blend violet and rich purple-blue tones. Each flower opens to reveal a bright white throat splashed with plum markings, creating strong contrast and plenty of detail up close. Grows to 90cm.

  • Penstemon 'Pensham Wedding Day': Graceful spires of fresh white blooms bring a calm, luminous feel to the summer border, standing out clearly against soft green foliage. Slender upright stems carry clusters of smooth, trumpet-shaped flowers that open from pale buds into clean ivory-white bells, each bloom lightly flared at the mouth and held neatly along the stems for a light, airy display. Grows to 80cm.

  • Penstemon 'Pensham Plum Jerkum': From early summer to mid-autumn, upright flower spikes rise above the clumps of semi-evergreen foliage, bearing white-throated, plum-purple flowers. An invaluable late-flowering gap-filler, Penstemon 'Pensham Plum Jerkum' mixes particularly well with ornamental grasses. Grows to 70cm.


  • Garden care:
    Plant penstemons in well-drained soil in a sunny or lightly shaded position, incorporating compost or well-rotted manure to improve fertility. Water regularly until established, then reduce watering, as they prefer drier conditions once settled.

    Deadhead faded blooms frequently to extend the flowering season. In autumn, leave the top growth in place to provide winter protection, then cut back in spring when new shoots emerge lower down the stems.

    Apply a dry mulch, such as bark or composted straw, around the base in colder regions to insulate the roots from frost. Every few years, lift and divide congested clumps in spring to maintain vigour and encourage fresh growth.
  • Garden care:
    Plant penstemons in well-drained soil in a sunny or lightly shaded position, incorporating compost or well-rotted manure to improve fertility. Water regularly until established, then reduce watering, as they prefer drier conditions once settled.

    Deadhead faded blooms frequently to extend the flowering season. In autumn, leave the top growth in place to provide winter protection, then cut back in spring when new shoots emerge lower down the stems.

    Apply a dry mulch, such as bark or composted straw, around the base in colder regions to insulate the roots from frost. Every few years, lift and divide congested clumps in spring to maintain vigour and encourage fresh growth.