Penstemon Heavenly Blue - Flowering Period

I already have an ajuga sugar plum. Would this work as ground cover? The right up says shade and sheltered. My spot would be neither of those.

G.

 

@Verdun You're Jack Frost looks interesting too.

G.

 

Hi Jack, Sugar Plum is an Ajuga Reptans cultivar so they prefer a North facing site but would cope with an East or West facing position.
You have to remember that the original species are groundcover plants from woodland ateas so sun is a bit of a no-no really. Also , they like to be kept on the moist side if not damp.

 

Hi @KFF. At the moment it's on my rockery. I guess it's not going to be too happy there either. I want ground cover in front of my half barrel water feature and something tall of roughly the same colour behind it. I already have oranges and pinks. I need another colour to complement them.

G.

 

Have you thought of any of the Campanulas , a wonderful range of plants in colours from white, pink, mauve, lilac, purple and all through the blue spectrum.
Also how about Phlox, besides the tall herbaceous types there are also miniature ones that creep along the ground and provide excellent ground cover.

 

They complement each other by representing a palette of blue for a long period of time......lithodora here flowers in mid spring and early summer. They also flower sporadically later. They do overlap. For a border where blue is required for a good length of time lithodora and heavenly blue fit the bill very well......as I said not adjacent to each other but in the same border
In the same way that blue anemone blanda provides blue in early spring and caryopteris in late summer a blue theme is maintained. Thus "complementing" one another.
I have maintained a blue border in this way that includes blue aubretia in late winter, then blue anemone, anchusas, lithodora, linum perenne, verbena homestead purple, salvia cacalifolia, agastache blue boa, salvia guanajuato and salvia Blue note and caryopteris Sterling Silver. They dont have to flower at the same time ....nor would I desire that....to make a complementary blue border. "Blue" elymus magellanicus and tulbaghia with its pale blue colouring add to this theme.
I have also suggested convolvulous maritima, a blue cascading plant, previously.
I complement kniphophia Mango with caryopteris Summer Sorbet in late summer as well as aster frikartii monch. Earlier in the summer, because Mango flowers for so long, another blue in the form of geranium Black Beauty works well earlier in summer. In another area scabious Butterfly Blue complements Mango to one side and the pale salvia Cambridge to the other. They complement well I think.
Gary seems to want orange and blue.....it is a delightful eye catcher here

 

I like the looks of agastache. If I've got them the right way round, blue fortune is taller.

I should have been in bed hours ago. I had to wait for my computer to update before I could shut it down.

As I keep telling myself. I won't be buying anymore plants until spring. I will keeping looking at possible alternatives until the time comes to make a commitment.

I appreciate everybody that takes the time to help me along the way.



G.

 

I agree with Verdun, it is much longer flowering and hardier than Electric Blue (which can be a little temperamental at times), however, on it's third flush or so Heavenly B seems to go much more purple than blue.

 

Mark, do you find a true blue perennial penstemon hard to come by?

Over the years I have sought them out but they always disappoint. Had a beauty once, the name Eileen Grenfell rings a bell (?) and its first summer was as blue as meconopsis Baileyii but it lacked vigour and struggled following season. Electric, True, Heavenly, etc., do seem to become more purple. Sour Grapes is a beauty....is it also Stapleford Gem?.....that is often listed as blue but isn't. I think the blue gene in penstemons makes for weak plants

For blues I now turn to other plants .....
Unless any forum member has a true blue penstemon!..:rasp:

 

Definitely, I do love the shade of Electric Blue but it only flowers June-July here and does not have the charm & bushy habit of other Penstemons. I agree, I find the most pleasant blues in Salvia at current. The scent & pest resistance of Lavender mid summer is unbeatable too, I'm growing a few called Ashdown Forest which is a lovely paler blue shade than say Hidcote.

 

Have to agree about lavendar.....I always suggest it where appropriate.
Have a 40 to 50' curving edge of Grosso (impressive flowers) to my veg patch....trimmed back tightly it now looks good but in summer it erupts into a frenzy of blue and wonderful scent.
I intend to plant a row in a new build too
Dont know Ashdown Forest....sounds nice