Pinguicula grandiflora aka Large Flowered Butterwort

Pinguicula grandiflora is a small plant that eats insects. It belongs to the Lentibulariaceae family and is a perennial. This means it lives for more than two years. Common names include large-flowered butterwort and Irish butterwort. It grows wild in Ireland, France, Spain, and Switzerland. It forms low mats of leaves, not woody branches. It is deciduous, so it loses its leaves each year. The pale green leaves form rosettes, or rings. Their sticky tops help the plant catch insects.

Thin stems hold the flowers above the rings of leaves. The blooms have a trumpet shape and appear in summer. Each dark blue flower has a spur and pale throat. Its lobes spread wide around the flower's open mouth. Blooms span about 0.08 feet [0.025 metres] across. The RHS lists heights of 0.3–1.6 feet [0.1–0.5 metres]. It lists a spread of about 0.3 feet [0.1 metres]. Plants take two to five years to reach full size. At this size, they stay small in garden displays.

Grow it outdoors in full sun or part shade. Keep the soil moist across the whole growing site. It needs poor soil, not a rich growing mix. Ground with natural peat suits it. A bog garden made for the plant also suits it. In these beds, use compost made for plants that eat insects. Choose a mix with low levels of nutrients. The RHS lists loam as a suitable soil type. It also lists soil that drains poorly. Soil may be acid, neutral, or alkaline. Sites can face any way, with or without shelter.

Under glass, give it bright light but screen direct sun. Use a peat-free mix made for plants that eat insects. The RHS rates its outdoor hardiness as H6. This covers UK winters with lows of roughly −20 to −15°C. Grow it in patio pots or other containers. A bog garden also gives its small rosettes a home. Summer blooms add colour above the pale leaves.

It needs no routine pruning, and disease rarely causes problems. Slugs and snails may attack it, so watch for damage. Sow seeds as soon as they ripen. Set them on damp sphagnum moss and leave the surface uncovered. Use gentle heat to help raise plants this way. You can also split the resting buds in late winter.