Penstemon heterophyllus 'Catherine de la Mare'
Foothills beard tongue
Also known as Penstemon 'Catherine de la Mare'
- Height × spread
- 0.45m × 0.4m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A rather delicate plant that makes a clump of rather spare foliage with wide-spaced slender tapered leaves. The flowers are held on upright stems and are individually quite small, long trumpets with outspread lobes at the mouth of the white throat. The colour of the flower often has a metallic quality and can vary with the soil type. They can appear both blue and pinkish, usually a blue with pink tints, rather than mauve and have an elusive beauty all their own. It is likely to flower during June and July. The plant is named after the daughter of the poet, Walter de la Mare. This Californian native is not reliably hardy, though should get through most winters except in cold places.
- Flower colour
- Blue, Pink
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Stem colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 0.45m
- Spread
- 0.4m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Seaside garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Bee attraction
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn - late · Outdoors
Apply mulch
Spread organic material around the plant being careful not to bury its crown, or to put the mulch above the point at which the plant has been grafted in the case of trees.
A mulch is a covering that can: protect the soil surface from rain, heat and cold; deter weeds; provide nutrients. Organic indicates that material has vegetative origin e.g. manure, compost. Synthetics i.e. plastics, or stones are often called mulches.
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.
Planting & general
Planting
Deadhead blooms during flowering season
Remove flowers as they turn brown and fade. Snip the stem just below the bloom. This will keep the plant tidy and encourage more flowers.
The removal of spent flowers encourages the plant to produce fresh ones, rather than spend its energy on the development of seeds.
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