'Rough Gay-feather' or 'Blazing Star' or 'Dotted Blazing Star'
< There are 40 or so species in Liatris and I find them all to be interesting and loved by butterflies. This species likes dry open sandy soils and grows over a wide range from Minnesota to Texas. Use in full sun in the perennial boarder or the grass garden, plants grow up to three feet tall and have purple flowers clustered together into 'buttons.' A number of stems come from each plant and bloom for many weeks in late summer. Plants will bloom the second or third year after germination and bloom in late summer. Much loved by Butterflies. I love this plant but it is a little bit on the floppy side-so stake or better yet, grow it mixed in with short grasses and other plants that will support it. I just let mine lean over and do their own thing.
Zones 3-8. Surface sow seeds, light helps with germination, use F 70, germination is spread out over a few months. Grow the seeds in the seed tray for one year and then transplant out in the spring of the next year. Will take two or three years to reach flowering size. The corm like root-stock should be planted around 1 inch deep or less. Be carful during fall clean up that you do not remove the corms from the soil when cleaning up the dried stems.
50 seeds.
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