Pentsemon problems
Peanuts3
Posts: 759
Last year I cut back my penstemons, two of them are fine, but the third one's leaves are tiny in comparison to the other plants. Any idea why this has happened and what I need to do to bring it back to life. I can't remember if it flowered last year, but I know the other two did.
Looking at this picture, I'm wondering if there are bigger leaves coming back through and I just cut out the thin leaved stems?
Has anyone seen this before ?
Thank you and happy new year ! 
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Don't cut it back til after winter, that old stuff protects the new.
That exhausts my knowledge of penstemon
In the sticks near Peterborough
Did you have a Penstemon 'Garnet' by any chance? That one has much slimmer leaves (and slightly smaller flowers) than the others and looks very like your picture. It is also supposed to be slightly hardier, though I haven't put it to the test. So many supposedly hardy things aren't in my garden that now I protect anything new until I have enough spares to risk!
Peanuts a lot of plants are currently putting on some new weak growth in a few gardens I'm working in. My own pemstemons have been in flower and putting up new buds as well. I'd leave well alone for now. Cold weather is on the cards for late January ànd if they're correct this should put a stop to further growth. Come spring and it may well be late this year then cut them back. I'd keep an eye on long range forecasts as weather has been very difficult so far.
Yeah, last spring was the first time I cut back my penstemons - and that definitely resulted in more blooms over summer/autumn. Also find them one of the easier plants to take cuttings from in autumn.