I have a little experience with penstemon in Colorado. With both my "Pike's Peak" and "Red Rocks" mexicalis, it seems that if I leave the stalks untouched, they continue to produce intermittent flowers right up until frost. When I've cut back, that was the end of the blooms, so I just leave them alone until after frost and then collect the seeds for cold stratifying and planting. My barbatus seems to follow the same pattern. However, I cut back my pinifolius this summer and now there are some new blooms. My grandiflorus which bloomed late spring to early summer had dead-looking stalks so I cut them off and that appears to be the end of flowering for this year. Same with my husker red. I don't know how you would do a dead-heading on any of these, though. I would love to hear from others on how they handle penstemon following the first flush of flowers, so I hope others will chime in!

I've been deadheading my Husker's Red all along. I didn't know it might continue if I didn't deadhead! That seems so different from the usual pattern with deadheading. I do always miss some and haven't noticed more bloom on those stalks.

Sorry, Linnea, perhaps I wasn't clear about the Husker's Red. I cut it back following the end of the flowering and it doesn't produce any more blooms. (It still has nice foliage, though, doesn't it?) I have read that sometimes there can be a second round of flowering, but I haven't had that happen with mine. Apparently, it only happens sometimes. I wonder if anyone on this site has seen it?

Hi, I'm also looking for the answer to this. I seem to have read somewhere (probably a book written by European gardeners - don't slam me too hard, I just love their photographs) that penstemon will bloom heavily and then need a 3 week rest and then bloom again. This advice was to cut them down to enforce the 3 week rest - which I just did this week! But I was also worrying about cutting off future blooms. I confess, sometimes I cut down less than I could have in case those were buds waiting to pop out. Talk about sending your plant mixed messages.

This is my first year with penstemon - I have Cathedral Rose and it was so cheerful - I hope it blooms again! Hope someone will chime in with definitive advice, definitely a newbie here.

I deadheaded my husker red a couple of weeks ago-maybe I should cut it all the way down. So far, I am not all that impressed with this plant depite being perenial of the year!
It does not look like much right now

I have Mexicali Red Rocks, I've tried deadheading & leaving it alone. It reblooms for me regardless, maybe just a bit more when I cut the bloom stems back after bloom. Huskers red has never rebloomed for me in the 4 years I've had it, nor has the white foxglove penstemon. I got Violet Dusk last fall, it bloomed this spring, I cut it back & I'm seeing some rebloom now.

Corylopsis, thanks for doing the follow-up. I'm going to deadhead my 'Husker Red' penstemons right now and see what happens.

Wow..my post popped back up to the top from last summer? Too bad all my penstemon have seemed to have died! I have tried about 4 different varieties with little luck so I don't think I will buy more :(

I live in zone 4 and tried a few times to deadhead my Husker Reds, but they never rebloomed. So I just let the seed on the plant and they spread like crazy each year by letting them alone, so that's what I do. The hummingbirds love this plant so I allow it to spread where ever it wants.