The emerging Penstemon leaves are dark purple just as the hyacinth is blooming, creating a nice color scheme. It seems as though many cultivars of Hyacinth can be combined with Penstemon 'Husker Red'. The Penstemon is slow enough to allow the Hyacinths to finish blooming and fill their bulbs, and then takes over before the foliage becomes unsightly.
Department of Horticulture, 134A Plant Sciences Bldg, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA, email: hort@cornell.edu | 607-255-4568/1789 | Fax, 607-255-9998/0599