Blazing Star
Liatris
Also called gayfeather
Also comes in white.
Blazing Star blooms from July through August.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Blazing Star
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Blazing Star
Plant Blazing Star 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. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9 range, spring means March to May 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: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Good to know about Blazing Star
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Its flower spikes open from the top down, opposite to almost every other spike flower, which open from the bottom up. It is a signature trait of Liatris. per NC State
Height varies a lot
The straight species and prairie types reach 3 to 6 ft; garden and dwarf forms run 2 to 3 ft. Pick a cultivar to fit. per NC State and University of Illinois
Water needs split by phase
Blazing star is drought tolerant once established, yet L. spicata also welcomes average-to-moist soil, even a rain garden. So do not keep it bone dry. per Wisconsin and NC State
Winter wet rots the corm
The corm rots in heavy, waterlogged winter soil, the leading way the plant is lost. Illinois Extension calls sharp drainage critical to survival. per University of Illinois
Monarch and butterfly magnet
A top pollinator plant: a monarch and butterfly magnet on nearly all Xerces monarch nectar guides, and the only larval host of the Schinia flower moths. per Xerces and NC State
Excellent cut and dried flower
Prized by florists fresh or dried for its strong vertical spike and long vase life. NC State rates it Good Cut and Good Dried. per NC State
Safe, not the toxic snakeroot
The ASPCA lists blazing star as non-toxic to pets. Do not confuse it with white snakeroot, an unrelated, highly toxic plant that shares the folk name. per ASPCA and NC State
What pairs well with Blazing Star
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Sage
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; blue sits close to purple on the wheel.
Giant Allium
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; echoes the purple.
Thyme
Shares full sun and low water; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
Autumn Crocus
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Mock Orange
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 8.2 ft, for the layer behind it.
English Daisy
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
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