Penstemon question

At the end of March, I sowed some Penstemon seed to try and grow perennials for my borders (I followed PeterS's advice on which plants to try and grow. The Nepeta is doing well and is already flowering, thank you PeterS!) Now I have around 20 little Penstemon plants which are growing in pots, and I really want to plant them out (they have been outside for about 6 weeks now).
The reason I have hesitated is: a) will the slugs eat them (they ate all my sunflowers which i planted out), and b) they are all kind of floppy looking. What I mean is the stems are curvy and wavy, not straight. Are you supposed to support Penstemon and stake them (or tie them to a little stick like sunflowers?) The plants are about 10-15 cms tall, I guess.

Should I just plant them out as they are, or should I plant them out and tie them to a stick?

Also, how big will they get - how much space do they need?

 

probably no help! but: I have a "nursery bed" by the greenhouse. I plant things like Penstemons grown from seed in there for the first year, and then move them to more permanent positions in the Autumn. This allows me to molly-coddle them, as well as watering them whilst I'm doing the greenhouse. If I put them out in garden as tiddlers they'd probably get overlooked, or require longer trips with watering can. This may not apply for folk that can walk round their garden in under a minute; luckily for me I can't!

 

Rosie, so glad to hear that your seeds have done well.

I have never had to tie up Penstemon. As they get older they get a bit woody at the bottom, which tends to make them reasonably self supporting. Depending on the variety they can grow to 2 to 3 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide, but they will take three or four years to do that. Hopefully you will get some flower before the year is out, but they may not flower much in the first year. I do agree with Kristen about "nursery facilities". It won't do them any harm to be left in a pot (as long as it is a good sized pot) for a bit, but equally you could plant some out now. I don't remember having a problem with slugs.

Penstomen are one of the most beautiful flowering plants. But they can be a bit temperamental. I have had plants that have done wonderfully one year and then very little the next year. And they are not always reliably hardy. I understand that it is the winter wet rather than the winter cold that can kill them - so good drainage is important.

I am glad you are growing Nepeta. Its lovely - albeit a bit floppy. Now that is a plant that really is reliable. I have a Geranium 'Ann Folkard' growing in the centre of my Nepeta. It weaves its way through the Nepeta, and makes a really nice companion.

 

Hi
Penstemons are wonderful plants! They do sometimes need a bit of support with a stick and dead heading them is essential to keep the flowers coming. Slugs dont seem to bother mine.They adapt to most spots in the garden and can be planted into their final positions now. They become bigger with time and in a couple of years you may want to take cuttings from them to increase your stock or even replace them as they sometimes become straggly with age.
It is best to leave the foliage on them over the winter to protect the crown of the plant - removing the old leaves etc when the frosts have finished in April or May each year. At this time you can cut them hard back to encourage more growth - and feed them too.
Hope this helps

 

Thank you for all the replies. I will do as you suggest and not worry to much about their floppyness! I have more pots than I thought I would, so if some of them don't like their final position, it won't be the end of the world. I have hundreds of Aquilegias everywhere, and although I like them a lot (especially the dark blue sort), they don't do anything in the border after the beginning of June, once the flowers have gone. So I thought if I intersperse them with Penstemon, that'll add variety. So exciting to have grown my very own little plants, like you can buy at the garden centre!

I really wanted the Nepeta to provide ground cover, and it is doing that very nicely.