Penstemon barbatus Twizzle Purple - seeds

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Purple' is a variety of bearded penstemon selected for its long and sturdy flowering stems, fast growth and summer flowering in a beautiful purplish pink shade. For three months, its proud stems emerge from the borders, adorned with eye-catching, graceful bells. This penstemon creates a superb composition with grasses, in a border or a wild bouquet. This very hardy, drought-tolerant perennial thrives in fairly fertile, well-drained soils, and loves the sun.

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Purple' is part of a series of recent hybrid penstemons, the 'Twizzle', created by Van Hemert & Co in the Netherlands, awarded by Fleuroselect for their performance. They are perennial plants capable of flowering in the first year, developing taller flowering stems than usual varieties while retaining the natural elegance of the botanical species Penstemon barbatus. The plants have an upright habit and high-quality flowering, from July to September. This series consists of several cultivars with various colours: Twizzle Coral, Twizzle Purple, Twizzle Scarlet, Twizzle White, and Twizzle Blue.

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Purple' is a bushy herbaceous perennial of the Plantaginaceae or Scrophulariaceae family, depending on the classification. It forms a semi-evergreen basal clump of fine, linear, bluish-green foliage in winter, from which thick and sturdy flowering stems emerge in July, reaching 80 cm (32in) high. The tubular bell-shaped, 2.5 cm (1in) long flowers, are distributed towards the top of the stem, over 30 cm (12in). They have a rich and bright hue, somewhere between purplish pink and dark purple. This plant has a deep root system, which can make transplantation difficult but allows it to find some moisture at depth.

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Purple' thrives in sunny, well-drained borders, alongside shrubby salvias, toadflaxes, and grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbergia capillaris. It is a very cheerful, nectar-rich plant with a wild charm, which will look good with annual poppies, small blue asters, and damask flowers. It is also a very beautiful flower for containers and cut flowers.