Xela's Garden

Remove the faded blooms regularly to prolong flowering.

Take cuttings from non-flowering stem tips in late summer and over winter for planting out the following year.

Plant cuttings in cold frame

Cut back and compost the spent flower stems in autumn and apply a dry mulch around the crown of the plant to protect against frost damage.

Cut back and compost the spent flower stems in autumn and apply a dry mulch around the crown of the plant to protect against frost damage.

Penstemons can become woody and leggy if they are not pruned annually. So, to keep plants neat and compact, give them a trim once the hard, winter weather is over (usually in late April or early May). This timing ensures that the old stems are still there to shelter the new shoots from any damaging late frosts.

Step 1 Examine plants individually to see whether the new shoots come from the base or are just appearing along the stems.

Step 2 Cut out all the old stems close to the base

Step 3 Where shoots are growing from the bottom, cut out all the old stems close to the base. Penstemon with few or no shoots growing from ground level should only have their stems shortened, making the cuts just above the lowest set of healthy leaves.

Once a plant has been pruned, remove weeds and other encroaching plants. Apply a general fertiliser, such as Growmore, to the soil to encourage strong growth

Remove the faded blooms regularly to prolong flowering.

Take cuttings from non-flowering stem tips in late summer and over winter for planting out the following year.