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Growing Penstemon in containers?

jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
in Plants
I've just purchased a gorgeous Penstemon Dark Towers and only found out when I got back home that they are not suitable for containers because of their deep roots. I'm happy to purchase one of those tall slender pots for it as I have to grow it in a container this year, but not sure about the size. Has anyone had any experience growing them in a pot? What size would you recommend? Or does anyone know how deep their roots get when grown in the ground?

Thanks x

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited May 2020
    I've had Penstemon Raven in a pot for several years and it does very well.
    I use tomato feed on it every few weeks when I remember and it does need watering often in the summer.
    Here it is today-


    There's a GW article here on your variety
    https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/penstemon-dark-towers/
    which says it needs frequent watering if grown in pots

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Buy a deep pot!  I would be more concerned if a plant had roots that don't like being disturbed (as you usually have to eventually re-pot plants that are potted), or which grows very quickly and would outgrow the pot.  For most perennials, including Penstemon, I would be happy to plant them in a pot.  You can easily take cuttings from them, so why not take some as a backup.

    Penstemons naturally layer, i.e., where their shoots touch the soil, they root to form a new plant (which can then be cut off from the parent plant).  It's less likely they will layer in a pot, but if you plant them in the ground, keep an eye out for any shoots that layer, and you could test them in a pot in future.

  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    Thank you @Pete.8. It does look very happy indeed! :) May I ask what the pot size is and do you have any fertilising tips for me for container-grown penstemon?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Hi @jucati1198 The pot is 30cm tall and 30cm across the top. The penstemon has been in the pot for 3 or 4 years now and seems happy
    I give it a feed occasionally when I remember, but probably a feed with a tomato fertilizer every couple of weeks would be good.
    As KOG mentions above cuttings from penstemon at this time of year are really easy and root in no time.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    Thank you @KeenOnGreen! That's a very good tip, I will take those cuttings! I see how I should be concerned about potting plants up that dislike root disturbance. I have to be honest, I find it difficult to find good information on growing plants in containers as I always try to research the root size of the plant to see how big of a pot they require, but there is no good source of that information online. Even if it's just to understand if they have a deep or shallow root system. There are so many plants I would love to grow in containers (because we are renting and I want to keep my plants for when we have our own garden))) so I often try to research, without much luck. I guess sometimes I just have to try. 
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