Liatris spicata - DENSE BLAZING STAR
This favorite, easy to grow and very showy perennial has narrow leaves that gradually decrease in size and length towards the top of the stems, which continue in 10" long spikes of purple-red flowers that highly attract bumblebees, long-horned bees, leaf-cutting bees, butterflies, and skippers. It flowers in late summer; the fluffy seeds that follow stay on the stems till early winter. It is clay tolerant and an excellent cut flower.
Unfortunately, this perennial (especially the young shoots) makes a tasty snack for deer and rabbits, and the corms can be eaten by voles. It may be difficult to establish in areas where these animals are overpopulated.
Brings wonderful verticality to plantings, looking very good in conventional flower beds, cottage gardens, naturalistic plantings or prairie plantings. It can be combined with many common perennials like daylilies (Hemerocallis), Echinacea, Heliopsis, Rudbeckia, Monarda, grasses, or annuals like zinnias. It can flop in rich soils; in this case, you might check out the shorter cultivar "Kobold' that doesn't flop at all.
Other common names include blazing star, dense blazing star, marsh blazing star, or gayfeather.
Picture copyright: 1- Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), Commons Wikipedia, 2 - US Perennials nursery
Blooming Time: July to August
Size: 3' tall x 0.75' wide
USDA Zones: 3 to 8
Culture: full sun, average soils
Moisture Needs: medium to wet (prefers moist to wet areas in its natural habitats)
Origin: this wildflower is native to eastern North America (USDA distribution map)
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: no / no
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: yes / yes
Attracts Hummingbirds: no
Pot Size: square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot
Liatris spicata - DENSE BLAZING STAR
This favorite, easy to grow and very showy perennial has narrow leaves that gradually decrease in size and length towards the top of the stems, which continue in 10" long spikes of purple-red flowers that highly attract bumblebees, long-horned bees, leaf-cutting bees, butterflies, and skippers. It flowers in late summer; the fluffy seeds that follow stay on the stems till early winter. It is clay tolerant and an excellent cut flower.
Unfortunately, this perennial (especially the young shoots) makes a tasty snack for deer and rabbits, and the corms can be eaten by voles. It may be difficult to establish in areas where these animals are overpopulated.
Brings wonderful verticality to plantings, looking very good in conventional flower beds, cottage gardens, naturalistic plantings or prairie plantings. It can be combined with many common perennials like daylilies (Hemerocallis), Echinacea, Heliopsis, Rudbeckia, Monarda, grasses, or annuals like zinnias. It can flop in rich soils; in this case, you might check out the shorter cultivar "Kobold' that doesn't flop at all.
Other common names include blazing star, dense blazing star, marsh blazing star, or gayfeather.
Picture copyright: 1- Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), Commons Wikipedia, 2 - US Perennials nursery
Blooming Time: July to August
Size: 3' tall x 0.75' wide
USDA Zones: 3 to 8
Culture: full sun, average soils
Moisture Needs: medium to wet (prefers moist to wet areas in its natural habitats)
Origin: this wildflower is native to eastern North America (USDA distribution map)
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: no / no
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: yes / yes
Attracts Hummingbirds: no
Pot Size: square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot