Pentstemons: Their Value in the Garden 
OF late years there has been a very decided tendency, 
in ornamental gardening, to break away from the 
conventional lines. Fashions in flowers change, 
as in other things. There are many people who tire of 
continually seeing the same kinds of flowering subjects 
in beds and borders year after year. This feeling is very 
natural, for however beautiful the plants may be the too 
frequent use of a few kinds begets monotony, and it is 
then that the introduction of a different type of plant and 
fresh style of bedding is pleasing to the eye. In this 
connection I strongly advocate the more extensive use 
of Pentstemons in the more important parts of the garden, 
as, by reason of their brilliance and beauty of coloring, 
combined with extreme grace of habit and growth, they 
are well worthy to enter into any scheme of planting, and 
to occupy the best position which can be accorded to them. 
Details of cultivation I have endeavored to set down in 
a manner which may enable those unacquainted with the 
plants to succeed with them, the growing of Pentstemons 
being simpler than that of most subjects used for summer 
bedding. My attempt at describing the beauties of the 
plants I feel to be quite inadequate, as those who appre- 
ciate them and grow them well will agree. 
There are now a very large number of the hybrid vari- 
eties of Pentstemon, embracing shades of color from 
white to. deep crimson, scarlet and purple, with many 
beautiful intermediate shades. The growth of the im- 
proved forms is very neat. They make slender but stiff, 
upright stems, the flowers being produced in the form of 
a panicle. The leaves are narrow, long and en- 
tire, very glossy and handsome, the stems well fur- 
nished with them to the ground. The normal height of 
the flower-stems is from 18 inches to 3 feet, vigorous and 
well-grown plants sometimes exceeding the latter figure. 
The flowers are very handsome, somewhat resembling 
Gloxinias, and are in many cases prettily marked or 
blotched. Brilliant as is the coloring of the flowers, there 
can never be said to be anything approaching gaudiness 
about them, the brightest and strongest colors being in 
every case toned down by the white or paler color in the 
"throat'' of the tube-like corolla. Again, the graceful 
hanging of the flowers on their boldly upstanding stems 
prevents any appearance of stiffness, but it imparts ex- 
treme freedom and grace to the plants, and renders them 
of great value for associating with plants of a formal and 
compact habit of growth. The garden forms of Pent- 
stemon have been derived by means of seedlings from 
several of the species, notably Pentstemon Hartwegii, P. 
Cobaea and P. gentianoides, while several others may 
have entered into the process. There are several species 
which, in their natural and unimproved form, are very 
pretty and interesting plants, though not much grown. 
The species are in nearly every case perfectly hardy, their 
native homes being in North America and Mexico. They 
do not, of course, possess the showy characteristics of the 
hybrids. It is to the hardiness of the species that we owe 
the vigor of constitution of the garden forms, although. 
as in the case of most improved varieties, they do not 
retain their hardiness in the same degree as the parent 
species. 
As I have already said, I consider Pentstemons quite 
worthy of occupying a position in the best parts of the 
flower garden, instead of being used merely to fill odd 
nooks and corners, after the manner of those who do not 
realize the possibilities of the plants. When used in the 
latter fashion they are often planted in positions where 
their charms are not apparent, and they frequently be- 
363 
come overgrown with more vigorous subjects. Their 
flowering period extends from about the end of fune, 
throughout the entire summer and autumn, up to the ad- 
vent of frost; in fact, the first frosts — which are sufficient 
to make the mure tender of bedding plants present a lie 
draggled and forlorn appearance — seldom do them any 
harm, and I have seen them in mild season? still gaily in 
bloom within a few weeks of Christmas. Therefore, I 
think that they may safely enter into any scheme of bed- 
ding, even if they do not (lower quite so early as some 
subjects. It may also be stated here that they withstand 
heavy rains and wet seasons far better than the majority 
of flowers. This is owing to the fact that they delight in 
plenty of moisture while growing and flowering freely, 
and also that the tubular form of the flowers and their 
downward direction are a protection against heavy rain. 
Whether they are used in mixed varieties or in groups is 
a matter of individual taste, and also depends upon the 
style of bedding and the other kinds of plants used. Gen- 
erally speaking, I favor the planting of a bold mass of a 
single variety in a group; especially effective is this style 
of planting where a border is entirely devoted to them. 
In this case a very fine effect may be secured by gradu 
ating the colors of the groups, commencing with white 
and blush shades, and proceeding with stronger pinks and 
reds towards the intense scarlet, crimson, and purple 
tones, again working out to the paler colors. A border 
planted in such a way, and given proper attention (which 
is simple enough) will make as fine a show and attract 
as much admiration as any feature of the garden. An 
edging of dwarfer plants of another kind could, of course, 
be used, or, to make the border one entirely of Pent- 
stemons, the variety Newbury Gem may very well be 
employed as an edging. This variety is excellent for the 
purpose, being of bushy habit, not much over a foot in 
height, and bearing rather small, bright red flowers in 
great profusion. If the plants are to be used in borders 
containing other plants, they should lie planted where 
there is ample space to form large, bold groups, which is 
far more effective than a few plants dotted about. They 
are also of great value for planting as a groundwork, in 
large beds containing taller plants, as, for instance, tall 
standard Roses, provided that they are not crowded into 
places where they will have insufficient room to develop 
their panicles of bloom. If planted with Roses, they 
give a fine display, and render the beds attractive long- 
after the Roses are past their best. In beds, also, where 
tender plants trained as standards or pillars in the style 
now popular are to be planted out for the summer, Pent- 
stemons form an excellent groundwork, and may be used 
in this way, selecting the colors which will associate best 
with the other occupants of the various beds. 
Pentstemons are perennials, and if given protection 
from excessive wet and hard frost will live for years. As, 
however, this would entail some trouble, and cuttings root 
readily, the plants which have done a season's service are 
seldom kept. It is always the best plan to propagate the 
numbers required annually and so obtain vigorous young 
plants. By means of cuttings, also, any particular variety 
may be rapidly increased, and the sorts are kept true. The 
best time to insert cuttings is during September, the 
earlier part of the month for preference. The ideal time. 
however, will vary a little, according to locality, and to 
the state of the weather. In very cold gardens they might 
wich advantage be put in at the end of August, but in 
warm places they should be left until the latter part of 
September, or even later. The time of propagating is 
