Skip to product info
SALE
Ships in FALL

Dark Towers Penstemon

Penstemon 'Dark Towers'

$10.39
$10.39 $12.99
per Plant - 5" Deep Pot
Sale | Save 20%
ZONES  3-8 | Good to grow! Zone
Bulk Savings - Buy More, Save More!
No shipping data More Information

• Penstemon x ‘Dark Towers’ is a tall native hybrid Beardtongue that blooms in late spring with large, light pink flowers
• Wine red foliage brings season long color
• Well adapted to the moister growing conditions in the eastern half of the US

Videos
     

More Like This

Description

Penstemon Dark Towers (PP 20,013) is a three-foot-tall hybrid beardtongue that blooms with light pink flowers in late spring/early summer. The flowers contrast nicely with the plant's beautiful wine-red foliage. Dark Towers Beardtongue is well adapted to moister growing conditions found in the eastern half of the US where many beardtongues of Western origins will fail. But with just a little extra water, this cultivar also thrives West of the Mississippi as well. The ornamental foliage generally retains good color throughout summer and the plant forms decorative seedheads, making it an excellent companion plant for many warm season ornamental grasses. 'Dark Towers' Penstemon is a hybrid of Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' and Penstemon 'Prairie Splendor' developed and introduced by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska. Companion plants include ornamental grasses, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) and Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe).

Planting & Care

Tips for growing Penstemon (Beardtongue)

Penstemon are generally evergreen and have beautiful flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds. Most varieties are rabbit resistant.

  1. They need “elbow room,” maximum sun, heat and don’t like to be crowded by other plants.
  2. Plant only in well-drained soils; clay soils and Penstemon are incompatible.
  3. Avoid overly enriched soils; too much compost and fertilizer will shorten their lifespan.
  4. They establish quickly and the amount and frequency of watering needs to be reduced after about 8 to 10 weeks to create dry conditions.
  5. When using drip irrigation, be sure to put the emitter off to the side of the plant, not right on top of the root ball to avoid overwatering the plant.
  6. Plant high, leaving the top of the rootball just above the surrounding soil to avoid burying the crown of the plant.
  7. Mulch with gravel or pine needles in arid climates. No mulch is needed where conditions are moister. Always avoid bark, grass clippings, or compost as mulch materials.
  8. Allow some of the plants to set seed (don't deadhead all of the flower spikes)*.
  9. Fertilize sparingly. One time each year in the fall is enough. Apply a light application of an organic or natural fertilizer such as Yum Yum Mix as a top dressing around the plants. Don't use high nitrogen water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Grow.

*To keep penstemon that have finely textured or matted evergreen foliage looking their best, you'll want to 'deadhead" them. Shear off the fading flowering spikes just as the plant is going out of flower. Gently bunch the flower spikes together with one hand and cut them off at the point where they go down into the mat of foliage with your clipper in your other hand. Recommended for the following varieties: P. pinifolius types (‘Compactum', ‘Mersea Yellow', ‘Nearly Red', ‘Magdalena Sunshine' and ‘Tall Orange Mix'), as well as Penstemon linarioides v. coloradensis and Penstemon virens ('Blue Lips').

More in-depth guidance for growing Penstemon: Growing Penstemon, The Beardtongue Family: Penstemania for Penstemon.

Shipping

No shipping data

As soon as your order is placed you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive a second email the day your order ships telling you how it has been sent. Some perennials are shipped as potted plants, some as perennial roots packed in peat.  The ‘Plant Information’ section describes how that item will ship. All perennials and fall-planted bulbs are packaged to withstand shipping and are fully-guaranteed. Please open upon receipt and follow the instructions included.

Perennials and fall-planted bulbs are shipped at the proper planting time for your Growing Zone. Perennial and fall-planted bulb orders will arrive separately from seeds. If your order requires more than one shipment and all items are shipping to the same address, there is no additional shipping charge. See our shipping information page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (801) 769-0300 or contact us by email or chat.

View

Key Features

Light Requirements

  • Full Sun

Water Tolerance

Low-Water

Bloom Time

Early summer to mid summer

Advantages

  • Bee Friendly
  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Native
  • Low Maintenance
  • Cut Flowers

Additional information

Mature Height

30-36" tall

Mature Spread

18-23" wide

Soil Type

  • Average Soil
  • Sandy Soil
  • Clay Soil
  • Compost Enriched Garden Loam Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Average

Planting Time

  • Fall

Native To

North America

Growing Zones

  • Zone 3
  • Zone 4
  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8

Ships As

Potted Plant

Can Send To PO Box

No

Ships to Hawaii & Alaska

No

Overall rating: 4.7 / 5 from 10 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["size","foliage","plant","blooms","flowers","garden"].

Review highlights

Reviews

I don't need to by this again

"So far this is doing very well in my garden. probably will not bloom until next season."

— Oleta (5/5)

Growing well, looks great

"I bought one plant to try last fall. It's doing great. It has reached full size and is blooming for weeks now. The dark red stems make a nice contrast and the light pink flowers fit with the color scheme. I saw this type of penstemon on a local garden tour recently doing very well in a few gardens used as an accent and grown en masse. I may order more."

— Go G. (5/5)

Stunning plant and happy in the garden

"Beautiful dark foliage with lovely purple blushed blossoms which are a favorite with small pollinators. The foliage and stems are deep toned from spring emergence to late fall and work extremely well with other perennials and bulbs. The blooms are lovely and last a long time but don't compete with bolder flowers. The plants don't fall over in the rain either. I plan to add more throughout the garden. (Zone 6 mid-Atlantic)"

— Composer (5/5)

I would buy this product again

"This plant has beautiful foliage!! It is grown a lot since April of 2023. I'm hoping it spreads, The flowers last a long time on the stem."

— Trish (5/5)

Fantastic plant

"I ordered 3 this spring and received well-packaged and robust plants with a great root system. 2 months later, they are in full bloom, which I wasn't expecting. They are beautiful - handsome dark foliage, lovely flowers in pink and purple tints, and mixed in a border of other plants. I plan to order several more for this fall as I can see so many places where they will bring a mixed planting to life. Great plants from a great company."

— Composer (5/5)

I would not purchase over a holiday weekend

"The plants arrived in subpar condition. They were parched and dry and all the leaves had fallen off. Shipping took a week because my order fell over a holiday weekend. I will say that customer service was immediately responsive and issued a refund without delay. I recommend High Country Gardens. I don't recommend ordering over a holiday weekend. I would order from them again."

— Flowergardeninggirl (3/5)

Beautiful and tough

"These got established during a wet spring this year in Denver. I planted them in merciless full sun, and now that the summer drought has set in, these plants have only continued to thrive with zero additional water. The dark foliage and soft pink flower spikes are a showstopper. I love how this plant contrasts with the silvery foliage of artemisia and agastache. My first time planting penstemon - I don't know why I waited this long! Thanks again HCG!"

— K8magoon (5/5)

Beautiful and very healthy!

"I love this plant so much. I have an all black/soft pink themed garden bed so obviously the deep foliage and pink blooms were perfect. I was thrilled to find it at such a good price. They came so healthy and in great shape with plenty of new leaves and new shoots coming up. I couldn't possibly be happier. Thank you!"

— Laura S. (5/5)

Blooming already, strong plant

"Attractive plant; hope it keeps growing and blooming."

— Marcia (4/5)

Dark Towers Penstemon

"Plants (Dark Tower Penstemons) arrived in a timely manner, well packaged, good size and good shape. Would definitely order from again."

— Wendy (5/5)

Q&A

Your Recently Viewed