Rain Garden Plants: Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

Linear, alternating, grass-like leaves are longer at the bottom (up to 10 inches) and shorten as they ascend the stem. Wand-like, showy spikes of flowers may be 1 to 2 feet tall. Great nectar source. Attracts bees, moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Seeds are eaten by songbirds. Deer resistant.

Height: 24 to 36 inches
Bloom color: Purple
Bloom time: July to September
Hardiness zone: 3 to 9
Salt tolerance: N/A
Spreading habit: Clump-forming; can produce new colonies from its shallow, fibrous-rooted corms; most often propagates by seed. 

Jodi Sulpizio, Penn State Extension

Jodi Sulpizio, Penn State Extension

Site Conditions

Sun: Sun/partial shade
Soil: Acidic (pH < 6.8)
Hydrologic zones: Moist/dry

Jodi Sulpizio, Penn State Extension

Sources

Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

Prepared by Jessica Chou, Jodi Sulpizio, and Constance Schmotzer.