Plant of the Week: Penstemon grandiflorus

Plant of the Week! A stunning plant in a dry prairie, Penstemon grandiflorus, Large-Flowered Penstemon, has beautiful waxy, blue-green leaves, a grand stature, and large, deep lavender blooms. On a cloudy day, it is almost electric when viewed against shorter prairie grasses. This plant provides food for a number of pollinators, including bumblebees who crawl into the tubular flowers. One species of carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica (Large Carpenter Bee), bypasses pollination and robs nectar by puncturing the flower from the outside. Naturally occuring in dry sandy prairies, dolomite prairies, and gravelly hill prairies, Large-Flowered Penstemon proves that even new developments, stripped of topsoil, can grow more than turfgrass. Try a dry prairie (we dare you)!

Thanks to Illinois Wildflowers (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/lf_penstemonx.htm) for the information.