Liatris spicata
Blazing Star
Common names: Prachtscharte, Prairie Blazing Star, Feathered Blazing Star
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy
Photo: Hedwig Storch · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Liatris spicata, the blazing star, is native to North American prairies. It produces tall, narrow stems up to 80 cm with striking violet flower spikes that open from the top down, keeping the inflorescence moving for weeks. The plant has slender, grass‑like leaves arising from a knobby root system. It attracts a wide array of pollinators, including bumblebees, solitary bees, and butterflies, making it a popular choice for sunny beds, prairie gardens, and as a cut flower.
Care instructions
Plant the tubers in spring 8 to 10 cm deep in a sunny spot with well‑draining, somewhat sandy soil; avoid winter waterlogging. Water only when soil remains dry, as the plant tolerates low moisture well. Leave spent stems until late autumn to provide food for birds and winter shelter for insects. For a denser bloom, the cultivar 'Kobold' remains more compact than the wild type.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJul–Sep
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, lean
Blazing star likes free-draining and rather lean soil, because soil that is too rich and heavy quickly leads to waterlogging at the corm. A sunny, warm spot with a sandy-gravelly subsoil suits its prairie roots. It is best to loosen heavy clay soils with sand or fine grit so that water drains away quickly in winter.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a wild perennial from lean prairie habitats, blazing star needs hardly any feeding. A thin layer of mature compost in early spring is entirely sufficient and keeps the soil loose. Too many nutrients make the flower spikes soft and prone to snapping, so it is better to be sparing with feeding.
Overwintering
In Central Europe the tubers are usually hardy enough, provided the soil is free-draining and no waterlogging occurs. A loose mulch layer of leaves or brushwood gives extra protection from frost in severe winters. You can leave the faded flower heads standing until spring; they give insects shelter and also serve as natural winter decoration.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
- Offsets
The easiest way is to divide the cormlike tubers in spring and plant the daughter tubers in a new, sunny place. Sowing is also possible, but it needs a cold period for stratification and some patience until the first flowers. Offsets, that is small side tubers, can be carefully separated when you replant in autumn and set straight out in another spot.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Blazing Star yourself
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