Growing Liatris Spicata: A Hardy Perennial With 4-Season Interest

Liatris spicata is one of my favorite perennials in my front yard garden. Commonly referred to as Dense Blazing Star, Blazing Star, and Gayfeather, my appreciation for this plant native to parts of North America, is well documented. Stems surrounded by vibrant, grass-like green foliage shoot up and form long tips covered in buds. Eventually, feathery, pinkish-purple flowers emerge, attracting bees and other pollinators. Then, as the flowers dry, they look like brown, fuzzy bottle brushes. That’s one of the reasons Liatris is high on my list: four-season interest. In this article, I’m going to share tips for planting Liatris, why I consider it to be a perfect perennial, and what not to do with it in the fall.

Part of the Asteraceae family, Liatris have become popular prairie plants in native plant gardens. Add these wildflowers to a border or meadow planting. If you like to create summer bouquets, plant them in a cutting garden among black-eyed Susans, echinacea, and coreopsis. They also make great cottage garden plants, because of their whimsical look, adding vertical interest and color.

It may be a bit bold to call this a perfect perennial, but in my opinion, Liatris checks a lot of boxes:

• Pollinator magnet: It attracts bees, butterflies, and birds!
• Year-round interest, including in the winter garden
• The dried flower heads provide seeds for birds to eat
• Drought and heat tolerant
• Interesting flowers, great for cut flower arrangements
• Deer resistant
• Grows well in average to poor soils

Native to prairie areas of North America, Liatris is a hardy, herbaceous perennial. It will survive in low growing zones, with winter conditions between -40°F and -30°F (-40°C to -30°C). And in the summer heat it thrives