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Let's read about this Annual Flower
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PENTSTEMON
. (Bearded-tongue)
(From
Greek for five stamens, the fifth is sterile and bearded)
Persons
who are familiar with the Gloxinia Pentstemon, Pentstemon
gloxinioides, already know its beauty; to others
who are not, we would say that the price of a packet
of seed is entirely out of proportion to the pleasure
of bringing these flowers into bloom. The plants grow
2 to 3 feet tall and bear brilliant flowers much like
miniature Foxgloves. The colors range from white to
deepest crimson, with the various tints of pink and
lavender predominating. Usually the throats are white,
and contrast nicely with the bright petals. One of the
best named strains is Sensation; the plants bear flowers
almost 2 inches across. These are hybrids between P.
hariwegi and P. cobaea.
USE.
These handsome flowers are excellent for the border
or for cutting.
GENERAL.
Pentstemons are perennials, but the plants of the group
described here are not always hardy, and are therefore
treated as annuals. Sow the seed in January if a greenhouse
is available, otherwise sow in a sunny window or hotbed
in March, and transplant to the open soil when danger
of frost is passed. Let the plants stand fully a foot
apart.
In favorable
years, and in the milder sections of northern United
States, they will live through the Winter, if protected
by a straw mulch, or they may be lifted in the Fall
and planted in coldframes for the Winter.
Florists
propagate by cuttings taken from the plants in the Fall.
The young plants then are wintered in a cool house.
Such plants are often in bloom in early Summer.
Information
on 50+ annual flowers
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