King George V Penstemon Plants
The details
- Colour: Red with white throat
- Flowering: Jun-Oct
- Foliage: linear, semi-evergreen
- Height x Spread: 90cm x 45cm
- Spacing: 40cm
- Position: full sun to semi-shade
- Soil: moist, well drained
- RHS Plants for Pollinators
Recommended extras
Description
Penstemon 'King George V'
Penstemons are such reliable plants, and this lovely cherry red variety flowers its socks off all summer, well into autumn, bringing a little height and vertical structure to your planting schemes.
King George V's flowers are rich red with white throats, reminiscent of foxgloves; the individual blooms are tubular and held on tall, elegant stems that grow to around 90cm.
It flowers from June through to October, a huge draw for bees. The foliage is mid-green and linear, and – usefully – semi-evergreen.
Browse all of our perennial plants.
Features
- Colour: cherry red with white throats
- Flowering: Jun-Oct
- Foliage: linear, semi-evergreen
- Height: 90cm
- Spread: 45cm
- Spacing: 40cm
- Position: full sun to semi-shade
- Soil: moist, well drained
- Unattractive to slug & snails
- RHS Plants for Pollinators
Growing Penstemons
Plant in full sun or light shade, a south or west-facing border is ideal, and they'll thrive in pots on a sunny patio as long as they're well-watered.
Dig in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure before planting to enrich the soil.
Cut back in spring (also divide and replant sections of mature plants) or they'll become leggy and woody.
Deadhead to keep blooms coming until the first frosts.
Use a generous mulch to protect the roots over winter. With an RHS Hardiness Rating of H3, it is not recommended for the coldest parts of Scotland unless grown in a pot and moved under shelter in winter.
In Your Garden Design
The middle or towards the front of a cottage-style border is the best place for your penstemons.
Red penstemons combine well with many more cottage garden favourites, such as lavender, salvias, nepeta, lady's mantle and rich claret shrub roses such as Rosa de Rescht for a stunning colour-saturated combination.
Did You Know?
King George V (1865-1936) was King of England and Emperor of India from 1910 until his death.
Cultivation Instructions
Dig in well-rotted garden compost when planting, in full sun or light shade. Space 40cm apart and water in well. Keep watered until established.
Leave growth on until winter is over. Cut back hard in spring to make way for new growth. Remove spent flower stems to encourage more flowers. Mulch well in autumn. Divide congested clumps in spring