Topic: Penstemon tinkerbell

[Heldi]

Sowed some of these earlier in the year. Now have some healthy looking plants. Lost the seed packet so I'm unsure what I'm supposed to do with them ? Do I keep them in the greenhouse until spring?? Was I supposed to plant them out earlier?  Help !!

[valmarg]

Penstemons are hardy, so I think it would be all right to plant them out now.  They will have chance to get 'bedded in', and grow a good enough root system to keep them through the winter.

valmarg

[Heldi]

Thankyou Valmarg.  :)

[Rosa_Mundi]

Although you might like to keep a couple back under glass, just in case we get a bad winter. I know it's predicted to be mild, but when did you last trust the weather forecast? Exactly!

[Heldi]

Thanks Rosa, good tip, especially as I hadn't thought to do that!

[Two Choices]

Heldi, you don't say what size your plants are. If you plant them out and they get to around a foot tall there is a good chance they will survive a moderate winter. I leave the seed pods on over winter and then once the fear of frost has gone in the new year, cut the plants back by about half. This method allows the tips to be sactificial in frost or snow and then stimulates good new growth for the next year. You could also try taking some soft tip cuttings and keeping them in the greenhouse over winter.
Good luck