Penstemon hybrida Polaris Rose - Beardtongue

The 'Polaris Rose' hybrid Penstemon, like all the plants in the Polaris series, offers flowers with very vibrant and particularly abundant colors. The bright pink campanulate corollas with white throat of this variety are gathered in dense clusters and carried by sturdy stems that do not sag under their weight. This bushy perennial is certainly not the hardiest, but it tolerates drought and adapts to ordinary soil. Brilliant in summer borders or planted in large containers, it is also a wonderful cut flower.

The 'Polaris Rose' Penstemon is a bushy and woody perennial plant belonging to the scrophulariaceae family, just like foxgloves and snapdragons. Like many hybrid penstemons, it is the result of cross-breeding several species, mostly originating from Central and North America. This variety forms beautiful upright and compact clumps measuring 40 cm (16in) to 50 cm (20in) in all directions, with ramified stems covered in abundant lanceolate green foliage. Its growth is quite rapid. The flowering period extends from June to August, developing on the terminal part of leafy stems. The bicolored flowers, in the shape of large campanulate bells, are gathered in tight clusters. They display a pure white color, widely bordered with medium pink, barely tinged with mauve, very vibrant. The flowers of this variety are sterile.

The 'Polaris Rose' penstemon is used in borders or as an edging plant, among perennials such as agapanthus, caryopteris, Rhodoanthemum hosimariensis, and Cape daisies, or mixed with annuals such as love-in-a-mist. It will mingle among the rocks in rockeries (in not too chalky soil) with cotton lavenders, rock roses, or wormwoods. It also performs very well in pots, with proper drainage and regular fertilizer application. Penstemons also make excellent cut flowers.