Author Topic: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder  (Read 7914 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« on: June 30, 2012, 10:05:28 AM »
All Penstemon lovers will be very sad to hear that one of the best-known breeders of this popular plant, Edward Wilson, of Pershore Plant Raisers, died in 2009.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/6438915/The-man-behind-the-Pensham-Penstemons.html

I buy most of my Penstemon at Hayloft Plants and it was actually on their web site that I read their tribute to the great man:
http://www.hayloft-plants.co.uk/edwardwilsonpenshampenstemon.html
This document has a very interesting list of Penstemons and how they were named.

I'm looking for photos for the Master Database.
I'd love to hear about your favourites.
Do you grow any of Edwards plants? I have a nice collection, including a few of Teds Purple (named after himself, rather reluctantly I gather).

Do they survive in your garden over winter? When do you take cuttings for propagation?
Any tips would be very much appreciated here.

« Last Edit: June 30, 2012, 10:10:45 AM by ideasguy »

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2012, 10:17:59 AM »
Photos I'd like to see?
a) Close ups of course
b) Habit - photos showing the height and spread of the various cultivars
c) In combination with other plants.
Get out there and get snapping folk! Have fun :)

Offline JeanV

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2012, 02:19:56 PM »
I have no idea whether the Penstemons I have are from him or not to be honest!

I have tried t o take cuttings but they have never worked but the deep red one I had did kast through the winter till our dreadful winter last year
(-23 C for about a month here!) . What I usually do is put them in pots then in the greenhouse with fleece. There is no heating there so the temp does only stay about +2 above the outside BUT it rises above that in the day and it is dry so they survive but with my usual haphazrdnous I do not know the names!

I will do a search.

We actually do live quite near Pershore and regularly buy plants at Malvern show, so I think it I s likely my plants were from his stock.


I live in Mid Wales if you look at a map of uk is the white area w ith no roads left of middle! Rural area with lots of sheep, low temp, no pollution very wet and often windy!  It is sunny sometimes though!  About an hour or two drive from :Pershore I reckon.

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2012, 03:31:50 PM »
Thanks for posting Jean ;) and I'm very pleased to see you visiting.

I had a red one with a name which quite memorable to me - King George! It died the year before the big freeze winter, and it had survived for a number of years.
It prompted me to buy more, and to explore the different varieties. They are many and varied.
Currently there are 577 in the Master Database:
http://www.ideasgenie.com/Databases/databases.html
I expect there will be a few more after this current project is finished :D
I'll publish an update to the Master Database so y'all can download and see the combined efforts of our forum members.


Offline Palustris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1846
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2012, 10:53:12 AM »
We have a grand total of .................None.
They have never survived the winters here.
Got a few alpine species, that's all.

NightHawk

  • Guest
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2012, 11:15:58 AM »
We bought three Penstemon plants from a local garden centre here last year.

They survived the winter, but to fair it wasn't really a bad one.

All three are currently blooming their socks off, but until I can check out the labels I don't know any of their names.

Like Jean, Kathy has had no luck whatsoever in getting Penstemon cuttings to take.  She has used several techniques, from suggestions on Gardener's World programs to gardening magazines.

Anyway George, as regards photographing them - no go at the moment.  Weather is atrocious.  Strong winds the last few days, and it's raining heavy right now.  Will have to wait for better conditions before we can give you our offerings for the database.

Laurie.

Offline Palustris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1846
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2012, 01:26:06 PM »
Just had a look through my photos and you should already have the ones I have taken.

Offline Eric Hardy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1313
  • Anthea & Eric, The Chilterns, Buckinghamshire UK
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2012, 09:26:54 PM »
Sadly we have no penstemons this year. I had a search through my photos to see what I could find and could only come up with two, both taken in October. This one was taken way back in 2002

and this one in 2009

Sorry, I have no details
Eric

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2012, 09:15:11 AM »
Good morning folk, and thanks for your responses.

I'll check out your CD when I'm pulling all this together Eric (Palustris).
Did you ever try propagating them? I haven't and from the gardening info, I assumed they were easy to propagate from cuttings. Apparently not, from the replies so far.
I'll be taking lots this year, so tips (pun?) will be much appreciated.

I'm hoping to do that long awaited upgrade to Ideas Genie this winter and all photos will be greatly appreciated and CD's or Flash Drives are the best thing to use for sending photos (of all plants, not just penstemons of course) which members would like to share on the Master Database.
If anyone sends a Flash Drive (Eric's method) I will return it with the latest copy of the Master Database.

We had NO RAIN yesterday Laurie and warm - the first day for ages ::) and we even had bursts of... SUNSHINE :o
I made hay while the sun was shining as it were, hence only getting to reply now. Its dry and cloudy this morning but bright and I do see some blue skies with a few rays penetrating now and again! Rain forecast for the afternoon :(

I took a photo of a rather special Penstemon yesterday!
http://bloomsofbressinghamplants.com/products/details/194/6/perennials/penstemon-%27sweet-joanne%27.html
I can vouch for the hardiness! It has a lovely habit and its in full bloom and glory at present.
This was sent to me by Paul (NewPlantsGuy on the forum) as a small plug plant.

And now to Eric Hardy - congratulations on being the first to post a photo in this topic Eric!
Beautiful - both plants and photos! Excellent photography as always.
I'm particularly fond of the pale pink varieties with white throats, and you've captured that one perfectly.
 
Hope you have a better day today Laurie! I hope yours don't get battered to the horizontal!
« Last Edit: July 03, 2012, 09:18:23 AM by ideasguy »

NightHawk

  • Guest
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2012, 09:39:06 AM »
Hope you have a better day today Laurie! I hope yours don't get battered to the horizontal!
Afraid not George.  Not as windy today, but it's still raining  :'(

The stems seem to be holding up quite well at the moment, but we do have metal ring supports around them so I think that's helping.

No sign of rain letting up just yet so nothing doing in the garden today I fear.

Laurie.

Offline Palustris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1846
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2012, 12:47:41 PM »
Failed utterly with cuttings of the herbaceous types, but total success with the alpine ones.

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2012, 01:54:19 PM »
They are obviously not easy to propagate! Thanks for that Eric.

Apart from a few spits this morning I'm enjoying another nice day in the garden Laurie. Its rather unusual for our rain systems to be reversed :D

Offline bossgard

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2012, 03:35:55 PM »

I thought this might give you and others insight as to Penstemons in the US.

This text is copied via Paperport from my brand new edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book. The revision of the book supposedly took 10 years to complete. They added quite a few new varieties of  plants and also added colored photos, where in my previous issue they used artist's drawings to depict them.

After this data, the book listed about 30 species that are out here someplace in the Western US.

Whether we came upon any varieties when on our hikes into the wilds, I don't know. We'll be on the lookout for any from now on.

'Most of the approximately 250 species of penstemon are native to the West, ranging from Canada into Mexico. Some grow on highest mountains, some in the desert, others in forest glades, in foothills, on plains. A few are widely available, but most are sold only by specialists. Most species have narrowish, pointed leaves; those in basal foliage clump are larger, those on flower stems smaller. Narrowly bell-shaped, lipped flowers (usually /4-11/2 in. long) are most commonly seen in bright reds and blues, but they also come in shades from soft pink through salmon and peach to deep rose, lilac, dark purple, white, and, rarely, yellow.

All penstemons, but especially the wild species, need fast-draining soil. Plants are fairly short-lived (3 or 4 years). Hybrids and selections tend to be easier to grow than wild species alongside regular garden plants; wild kinds may die quickly if given too rich soil and too much water. In dry years or with restricted water, however, plants of wild species may thrive.'

- Toby


Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2012, 11:44:54 PM »
Thanks for posting this article Toby.
Fortunately, most gardeners grow the Hybrids and selections mentioned in your article, so (again from your article) they should be easier to grow ;D ;D
The selections/cultivars are the ones introduced by dedicated hybridisers like Edward Wilson, and readily available commercially.
I wonder is there are any of those rare Yellow varieties available here though :-\
Perhaps Yvonne can advise.

From your article, it appears that we could easily kill our Penstemons with "kindness".
To add support to that, I read some time ago that in the greenhouse (e.g. when starting them off after receiving them from a supplier as small plug plants) they should be watered, then allowed to stand until they are on the dry side before watering again.
I usually lift my pots and feel the weight to judge if they need watered.



Offline Palustris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1846
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2012, 10:25:07 AM »
Been talking to a friend who has had some success with Penstemon cuttings. She takes them now, but not tips, but from the older more woody sections of the plants. Rooted in the normal way in compost in pots. She has managed to get them to root in sand with semi ripe tip cuttings taken in October and left out (covered) in the sand over winter. BUT she reckons those are harder to grow on afterwards, though they root really well.

Online ideasguy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6313
  • Just me
    • Ideas for Gardens
Re: Edward Wilson - famous Penstemon plant breeder
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2012, 01:56:50 PM »
Thanks for that info Eric. I used to read in gardening books and magazines that you should take cuttings of all your favourite tender perennials at end of season, and I'm pretty certain Penstemons were mentioned. I have a feeling that some varieties are easier than others.
I'm going to try some cuttings now using two methods - a) 50/50 compost and hort. grit (small graded 5mm stones for drainage) and b) a few cuttings in a jamjar of water - after they show white roots developing ::) I will then pot them up - it would be an interesting experiment for James and me  ;D (he loves gardening and is picking up lots of information as we chat away while working).
In both cases I'll take heel cuttings (as you would get from an older plant like your friend has done).
I suspect unripened tip cuttings would collapse but I suppose its also worth a try.