With its very vertical form and bright purple flowers, Prairie Blazing Star is an exceptional wildflower of the Tallgrass Prairies.
Prairie Blazing Star is most common from Minnesota and Wisconsin south to Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, with a few disjunct populations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It is most often found on wetter sites, and can take heavy wet clay very well.
All Liatris grow from corms, somewhat unusual for daisy family species. The plants develop quickly from seed, usually blooming the following growing season. Plants grow 3 to 4 feet tall, looking like a grassy spike for most of the spring and then finally coming into bloom in late Summer.
The blooms, like all Liatris, have the somewhat unusual habit of opening from the top down - Most spike-flowered perennials bloom sequentially from the bottom up!
Prairie Blazing Star is often planted in prairie restoration plantings - Scattered evenly through a prairie, the plants are very striking in bloom. Pictures of prairies often show fields of Liatris in bloom - They truly are some of the most beautiful prairie plants.
Because of its tall, narrow form, Prairie Blazing Star is a good plant for the back of the border, even in smaller gardens. The plants are not aggressive at all, and are very adaptable.
Prairie Blazing Star attracts all manner of bees and butterflies, and it is a great flower to include in a pollinator garden. Be warned that rabbits, ground hogs and deer do like to chew on the stems.
Prairie Blazing Star is easy to grow, and can take heavy clay soils. The main issue is drought - While the plants will survive a drought, they will often turn yellow and go dormant early if they are sited in a dry spot. Take a cue from their natural habitat and place them in moist to wet soils.
Space Prairie Blazing Star 24-30 inches apart, and water well for the first month or so. If rainfall is plentiful, watering is unnecessary.
We offer Prairie Blazing Star in both Quart SuperPlugs and RootMaker 32 trays.
| Common Name: | Prairie Blazing Star |
| Botanical Name: | Liatris pycnostachya |
| USDA Hardiness Zones: | 3-9 |
| Height: | 24-48 Inches |
| Spread: | 12-24 Inches |
| Spacing: | 18 Inches |
| Flower Color: | Purple |
| Bloom Time: | Late July - Mid-August |
| Texture: | Fine |
| Habit: | Vertical Spike |
| Light Exposure: | Full Sun to Part Shade; Moist Prairies and Wetlands |
| Soil Moisture: | Wet to Average |
| Soil Texture: | Heavy Clay to Sandy Loam |
| Soil PH: | Neutral to Slightly Alkaline |
| Landscape Uses: | Accent Plant, Mass Planting, Restoration Plantings |
| Benefits: | Attracts Butterflies |
| Ecological Function: | Nectar and Pollen, Larval Food Source, Forage |
