Is Pineleaf Penstemon suitable for fall planting in zone 6? Also, when does it start blooming and how long does it bloom?

thanks,
Suchie

Suchie
As hardy as Penstemon pinifolius is, I would still plant it as early as possibly so that it has time to become well established in the ground before first frost.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Suchie,

Are you STILL shopping????
Did you have another garden dug in? I've been to a few garden centers down here but I haven't come across too much other than the normal stuff we all have already. Did I mention I i purchased a Red Ginger Plant from Dearborn before I left? It was easily a 5 gallon container. I am adding it to my growing collection of tropicals I will house indoors.

Pam NJ 6B

Thanks Penny. Maybe I should wait till spring to get in ground. Do you have it in your yard? I am looking for something that will bloom for about a month. I got one called Ruby and it has been blooming for more than a month now.

Pam, the quest never ends. However, my motives are altruistic. It's all for the hummers
I am going to guess you had a great trip.

Suchie

I planted three of them last spring, in zone 6, in clay soil with gravel and sand added. Two out of three made it through the winter, one didn't. The two that did are doing fine and still blooming. I don't know if the hummingbirds have used them as they are not more than about a foot tall and it's hard to get a clear view of them.

My instincts are the same as Penny's. I think it would be best for them to get well established by planting in the spring or early summer. Maybe it would still be OK to plant them now, but I wouldn't wait any longer. I have found that when I plant marginally hardy plants in the fall, they don't make it. I'm not sure if the Pineleaf Penstemon could be described as marginally hardy, but given that it likes drier conditions than are normal for western PA, and the eastern US, I figure it's best to pamper them with spring planting. I also planted Penstemon eatonii last spring, and it also made it. Even though they're dry soil plants, I watered them quite a bit through last summer, with the intention of getting good root systems. It seemed to work, except for that one Penstemon.

Suchie,
I don't have it in my garden but it is one that I have considersed. I have seen it rated to zone 4 but I would definitely make sure that the soil draings well especially if you decide to plant it out now.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I grow regular Penstemon pinifolius (orange) and the variety 'Mersea Yellow'. I am in zone 6 and they have both survived 3 or 4 winters now (can't remember exactly what year I planted them...heck, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night ). Unfortunately, mine bloom after spring migration and before fall migration so I haven't seen any hummers use them. They do bloom for over a month though and they bloom longer the more established the plants become.

Jeff

For what it is worth, I've late-summer early-fall planted Penstemon pinifolius with virtually 100% survival here in zone 4. I've even haphazardly plopped tiny seedlings in bad spots at that time of year just to rid myself of the responsibility of caring for them in pots, not really expecting them to survive, but many of those survived, too.

Donald

Zone 4 Red Wing MN

Hi,

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with me. I am definitely going to get in and put in ground as soon as I can.

Suchie