Virginia ecotype
Duration: Perennial from underground bulb
Habit: Upright, clump-forming, with a basal rosette and erect flowering spikes
Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, 1 to 2 feet wide
Flowering Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Purple to lavender
Habitat: Moist meadows, prairies, marsh edges, and open woods
Moisture: Average to moist; prefers consistent moisture but tolerates some drought, must be well draining but tolerant of seasonal dampness
Light: Full sun to part sun; best in full sun
Soils: Loamy, sandy, or clay soils; well-drained to moderately moist
Uses: Pollinator gardens, prairie plantings, cut flower gardens, rain gardens, naturalized meadows
Liatris spicata (Dense blazing star)
Liatris spicata is known by several names, such as dense blazing star, marsh blazing star, gayfeather, and prairie feather.
This widely cultivated species has striking vertical flower spikes that bloom from top down. Its feathery wand of pink-purple flowers are attractive to monarchs and other butterflies, native bees, and even hummingbirds. Its nectar-rich flowers make it a vital resource during the heat of summer for many pollinating insects. In fall and winter, the dried seed heads also provide food for birds like goldfinches. This species pairs well with native grasses, and bloom colors pop with yellow-flowering plants such as Rudbeckia hirta or Rudbeckia fulgida.
In nature Liatris spicata grows in moderate to moist clearings and meadows with lots of sun. In spite of being called marsh blazingstar, it does need well-draining soils. Plants can tolerate periods of dryness once established. Liatris grows from underground corms rather than rhizomes, which clump and create a tight colony of stems. The corms produce a dense array of roots, which die back in winter and can help improve soil. Corms can be dug up and divided periodically in the fall/winter.
Liatris is a host species for several moths, including the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth, whose looper (inchworm) form affixes pieces of flower petals to itself as camouflage.