Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Penstemon electric blue is now pink

PoppypussPoppypuss Posts: 143
in Plants
Hi. I bought some penstemon electric blue last year and loved the colour. They’ve overwintered really well and are healthy plants now starting to flower but are now most definitely a pink lilacy colour. Nice enough, but I have plenty of other pink penstemon so this is a bit of a disappointment. So I was just wondering if this is a normal thing and the blue colour only lasts for one year? I’ve also got lots of cuttings taken last month but now don’t know if they’ll turn out blue or pink. Cheers

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited May 2020
    I googled your penstemon. They don't seem to be entirely blue.  I have one that is very similar. Can't remember the name, but it wasn't called electric blue. It produces a variety of flowers from pink to electric blue and everything in between.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • PoppypussPoppypuss Posts: 143
    B3 said:
    I googled your penstemon. They don't seem to be entirely blue.  I have one that is very similar. Can't remember the name, but it wasn't called electric blue. It produces a variety of flowers from pink to electric blue and everything in between.
    Hopefully the later flowers will be more blue, they were such a lovely sky colour last year. Do you think they are influenced by soil acidity like hydrangeas? They are growing in a rose bed, neutral clay but recently improved with blood and bone. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I have Heavenly Blue which also changes from blue to pink over the course of a few weeks and Sour Grapes which does the same

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    It occurred to me that I do have one blue penstemon that stays blue - Penstemon serrulatus (the Cascade Penstemon)
    I don't know why, but they don't seem widely available.
    I trim them back a bit in spring and that's about all I do.





    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • PoppypussPoppypuss Posts: 143
    Pete.8 I’ll have to look out for that one, very nice! I do like the electric blue as it’s very robust and was the first penstemon to flower again this year. Fingers crossed it starts to change colour. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I'd be keen to know what colour it changes to if you'd be kind enough to give an update later Poppypuss. It still looks lovely as it is though.
    I do love the colour of electric blue and it's one I've often considered, but the vibrant electric blue colour I see on many websites seems too good to be true.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.