Pruning a woody Penstemon
I have been away for 5 years leaving my garden to the care of tenants. Little has been done to it and I have returned to a rather straggly woody but on the whole healthy Penstemon Garnet. It has flowered quite prolifically this summer but is very leggy (3' high) and quite woody.
Should I take cuttings and scrap the mother plant or can I prune it back into shape?
0
Posts
Take cuttings from non flowering shoots now, then trim back hard in spring. You may lose it but the cuttings will give you a backup plan.
We inherited a P Garnet in our current garden. I have divided it many times and we always cut back hard in Spring. Despite sometimes harsh treatment from us they seem to thrive. They send out side shoots which layer. If you can dig out some of those and pot them up you'll have stronger plants quicker.