Penstemon - a flower native to North America, but recently the flower culture is well established on the Euro-Asian continent. The plant is very decorative: a tall bush with peduncles, at the end of which there are bright flowers collected in a brush. All amateur gardeners who have seen amazingly beautiful flowers would like to cultivate the plants in their garden. They are interested in the question: how to grow penstemon?
Penstemon: planting and care
The most popular is penstemon for many years. Growing a penstemon from seeds requires considerable effort and patience.
In order to increase germination, the seeds are recommended to be kept in a cool place for a month before planting. Seeding of the penstemon seed is carried out in late February - early March. Plant seeds almost on the surface of the soil, so that the developing plant receives more sunlight. The top of the sown material is sprinkled with sand a little, moistened and covered with cellophane to create a greenhouse. The room containing the planting should be warm (about + 22 ... + 25 degrees) and light, then the first shoots are already pecked by the end of the second week.
With the advent of shoots, the film can be removed and after a few days transplanting the seedlings into peat pots. Now the air temperature should be lower, preferably +14 ... +17 degrees. If these measures are followed, we can expect an earlier flowering of the plant. After the appearance of two real leaves, the planting is dived. In the open ground planted, depending on the climatic zone: from mid-May to late May. In this case, it is necessary to maintain a distance between the bushes of about 35 cm. Given the particular sensitivity of the pentemons to winds and weather changes, it is better for a plant to choose a well-lit place, protected from all sides. The soil must be neutral, rich in humus. For better growth in the ground, you can make large sand or gravel, because the plant does not tolerate stagnation of moisture in the roots.
Care includes regular watering, weeding and mulching , protecting the plant from excessive moisture evaporation on hot days. Approximately two times a month it is necessary to make additional fertilizer with complex fertilizers. To maintain the decorative appearance, periodically remove dead peduncles. Often there is a phenomenon when the top of the plant withers. To prevent the death of the bush, it is necessary to cut off the diseased part of the stem or even to prune the whole plant so that healthy shoots appear. But the fall of flowers in rainy and windy weather - a normal phenomenon. On the place of fallen trees constantly grow new flowers.
Penstemon propagate and cuttings. In August, it is cut, and the rooted cuttings are stored at a temperature of +3 ... + 7 degrees. In spring the plant is planted. Penstemon of cuttings bloom almost a month earlier than flowers grown from seeds.
Preparation of penstemons for wintering
Many types of penstemons do not tolerate temperatures below -10
Use of penstemons
The plant blooms, beginning in July and until the autumn frosts, decorating with its long inflorescences a growing place. You can put the penstem in rows in the rabatkah , casing with low flowers (marigolds, ageratum, etc.), or in mixborders groups. Cut off pentemmers look great in mono-bouquets, and in combination with other colors.