Product Description
Giant of all Stokesia cultivars, tall and vigorous selection with large pale blue 3+" wide flowers.
Discovered by the Atlanta Botanical Garden in southern Georgia, near the town of Omega.
For sunny and drained garden. Great cut flower due to it's long stems.
This is seed strain with some variability in flower color (bluish, blue, whitish, up to purplish).
Dense rosettes of longer waxy leaves stay evergreen in milder climates. Leafy stems, and large flowers bloom from June/July to early/mid fall (especially if deadheaded). It likes some moisture and could be grown on the pond banks, (in mild zones 7,8,9), but can be problematic with winter moisture (soggy winters), which can cause rotting and lead to losing the plant.
It also grows well in drier clay, and is tolerant of drought, heat and humidity.
Blooming Time: June/July is the peak, less blooms till September, more if deadheaded
Size: clumps about 3'-3.5' tall x 1.5' wide
USDA Zones: 6 to 9, with sharp drainage 5/6 or 5
Culture: full sun to filtered sun, adaptable to virtually any soil (including acidic soils). Drained soils are the best
Moisture Needs: medium moist to medium-dry
Origin: Discovered in the 1990's by Ozzie Johnson and Ron Determann (the Atlanta Botanical Garden), introduced by Jelitto Seed Company in 1998. The species of Stokesia laeavis is native to coastal states from North Carolina to Louisiana (USDA distribution map) and grows naturally in moist but drained soils (sandy, slightly acidic to neutral)
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes / yes
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: yes / yes, host plant for caterpillars of several moths
Attracts Hummingbirds: no
Plant Combinations: Good with Echinacea, Achillea, Agastache, Amsonia, summer blooming Allium, Asclepias tuberosa, Aster, Baptisia, Calamintha, Coreopsis, Gaura, Knautia, Liatris, Monarda, Nepeta, Oenothera, Penstemons, Platycodon (taller ones), Rudbeckia, Salvia nemorosa hybrids, tall Sedum, Solidago, Stachys, Vernonia lettermannii, taller Veronica, Yucca, and grasses like Bouteloa, Muhlenbergia, Sporobolus, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum or Panicum.
Pot Size: square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot
Picture Copyright: Jelitto