Illustration
Alba Gayfeather
Liatris spicata 'Alba'
Also called white blazing star and white gayfeather
Alba Gayfeather blooms from July through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Alba Gayfeather
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 1.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Alba Gayfeather. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Alba Gayfeather
Plant Alba Gayfeather in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from July to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Alba Gayfeather get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1.5 ftwideSee Alba Gayfeather in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Alba Gayfeather
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Alba Gayfeather about 1.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Alba Gayfeather to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Alba Gayfeather's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 14 published sources on September 26, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- abnativeplants.comAmerican Beauties Native Plantsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- luriegarden.orgLurie Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, soil, diseases and pests
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticultureheight, hardiness zones, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderhardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Plants For A Futurewater, trait tags, soil, pests and toxicity
- abnativeplants.comAmerican Beauties Native Plantsheight, hardiness zones and pests
- hoffienursery.comHoffie Nurseryheight, spread and hardiness zones
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderbloom months and color
- hoffienursery.comHoffie Nurseryheight and hardiness zones
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.