Migel, I had never had blister beetles either until last year. I didn't know they existed. They look very similar to lightening bugs without the glow...and the blister beetles have long antenna...like cockroaches. They seem to drop from the plant quickly if disturbed, so catching them is more difficult than, say, japanese beetles. Overnight they can decimate an entire clematis. They're nasty. Robert

chazparas, I'll throw in an extra .00001% I am positive now this is an Aster. I would of never put this together myself, I have always thought that every Aster had a daisy like flower Another sort through my seed packets and I have planted Aster azureus, Aster shortii and Plains Aster (which is an annual) So now its just waiting until next year to see what happens and it is entirely possible that I have planted New York Aster which this most closely resembles but I haven't found the seed packet. I don't know how I got mixed up with the tall and short of the plants but what has happened is I got an ID 2 for 1. Over the past year I have tried to photograph and identify every plant that has bloomed in my yard, be it a native, a weed, pretty ugly whatever, I have also tried to figure out how and why it has arrived in my yard. If I have another question I know where to come and I am sure I will get another lesson, so thank you to everyone for your help. When I get everything online I will share.

Grew this vine one year from seed - direct seeding in late April. The first blooms arrived in late September, 2 weeks before the frost. Based on my wretched experience, "taking over" is the last thing you have to worry about. Purple Bell vine and Chilean Glory Vine (Eccremocarpus scaber) may make an appearance in my garden again, but only if I start with plants. And keep them in pots so they can winter over.

There's quite a range of Penstemons as GG48 said and the growing conditions they like vary some. I have a purple hybrid called 'Sweet Joanne' that looks similar to yours as far as leaves and general plant appearance but has pinky-purple flowers; it may be related to yours. I also have a taller, red Penstemon with smoother-edged, heavier leaves which has been in my garden long enough that the name has been lost in the fog of garden history - at least 15 years. I also have at least a couple more, including some selections of P. pinifolius which is found in red (as well as more rarely orange and gold.) And I've killed several that either weren't hardy enough, or more likely, didn't like the amount of winter and early spring moisture in New England. IME none of them like poorly drained soils, and the ones that are of western US provenance are most likely to be unhappy with soil moisture in winter. So I've learned to plant mine where there is well-drained soil and where water won't puddle as the snow melts in late winter; on a gentle hill works well. All of the ones I've grown like full sun.