Penstemon x mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)

A pretty hybrid Penstemon, Penstemon x mexicali ‘ ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ is a bushy perennial with short spikes of bright violet-purple trumpet flowers revealing white throats. They rise above a lush foliage of lance-shaped, glossy green leaves. A very attractive and low-maintenance variety that adapts to a wide range of garden conditions.

• On display from early summer through early fall, this Penstemon grows vigorously to 12-18 in. tall (30-45 cm) and 10-12 in. wide (25-30 cm), and adds lovely vertical lines to the landscape. 
• 1999 Plant Select® winner
• Provides a bold and striking impact in beds, borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens or in prairie plantings. Ideal for naturalistic planting schemes. Good as cut flowers too!
• Best grown in full sun or partial shade, in fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. Tolerates almost any soils including dry soils. Drought tolerant once established. Dislikes damp conditions and needs excellent drainage! Penstemons need very little water and barely any fertilizer. Fertilize lightly when planting and then never again. Over fertilizing Penstemons leads to excessive die back in the winter.
• Attracts scores of hummingbirds, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators but is resistant to deer and rabbits.
• Generally disease free. May be attacked by slugs, snails, glasshouse red spider mite, and leaf and bud eelworms
• Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-hardwood cuttings in midsummer. Propagate by division in spring.
• Deadhead after flowering to maintain vigor. Then cut back to base in early spring