Penstemon 'Dark Towers'

Penstemon 'Dark Towers': Wine-Red Leaves Built to Last

Glossy wine-red foliage topped with soft pink flowers, like a moody novel with a surprisingly sweet ending. 'Dark Towers' stays dark straight through a heatwave. IT DOES NOT FADE UNDER PRESSURE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Penstemon hybrid
• Common Name: Beardtongue
• Height: 85–90 cm (33–36 in) in flower
• Spread: 75 cm (30 in)
• Flowers: Soft pink tubes on strong, dark stems
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Glossy, deep wine-red to bronze-red, holding its colour in heat
• Features: Tolerates heat and humidity, good cut flower
• Plant Patent: USPP 20,013

Where to Plant: Give it a spot in the middle of a sunny border where the dark leaves can act as a backdrop. It also fits pollinator gardens and cutting gardens, and the leaf colour is richest with plenty of sun.

Companion Plants: Alcea 'Polarstar' rises behind with white hollyhock flowers from July to September. Aster 'Purple Dome' fills in at 45 to 60 cm with purple asters from August to October, after the penstemon finishes. Pennisetum 'Little Bunny' adds a soft, fine-textured edge at the front from August to October. Plant in full sun for a border that runs from June into fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Beardtongues rot in soggy winter soil, so skip low spots and heavy clay that stays wet. Water regularly the first season, then only in long dry spells. Deadheading the first flush of spent spikes can encourage more blooms. Cut the old flower stems down in fall or early spring, leaving the leafy base. Divide in spring every three or four years if the clump starts to open up in the middle.

History: 'Dark Towers' was bred by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 'Husker Red', the 1996 Perennial Plant of the Year, and the hybrid 'Prairie Splendor'. It was chosen for darker leaves that keep their colour longer than its famous parent.

Final Thoughts: Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all line up, and deer don't bother. Build a little skyline of them. THE TOWERS ARE NOW ACCEPTING TENANTS.