I am forever tidying up my Penstemons, always planting the off cuts too and they always seem to be fine. The cuttings seem to take very easily and I have managed to end up with loads of them, perfect for filling gaps in the beds. Remember to mark which are which though, I managed to get one lot of mine mixed up and have blue ones in my pink bed now.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
@B3 sorry for jumping on your thread. I have penstemon that i planted last year, do you cut them right back? And why do you wait until April? Is that incase of frosts?
Yes, the old growth helps to protect the crown and new growth from frost. You can cut back as little or as hard as you like. They will grow and flower from whatever you leave so if you want the plant to be bigger you can leave more on. I think they generally look nicer with all new growth and none of the older woody stems, but if you have one behind other plants you might want to leave it taller. Timing of the cutting back depends where you live and what your climate is like. I try to leave mine until April but like B3 I'll probably take off some of the old stems that are flopping out sideways over other things before then.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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