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Liatris spicata

After long-awaited, short period of bloom this plant goes into its ugly autumn look. The leaves turn black and dirty-looking. Especially ugly in the rainy weather. Never plant en masse.

These grow very pretty in my area. West Hamlin, West Virginia.

Mine were ordered back in 2002 from Van Dycks and they do not seem to get as big as all the photos and discriptions claim.. but maybe back when I ordered them they said part-shade to sun. Maybe they really do not do well in the part-shade since that is where mine have been growing since they have been planted. If I locate mine coming up this year maybe I will take a chance and dig them up before they get too big and move them to a sunnier location.. Or maybe I should just order new ones..what do you think... but so far not all that impressed... I do have a photo of what they looked like in 2008, I had both the purple and white....

Two years ago I planted a couple of these in my garden. The next year I got nothing. This spring a strange plant sprouted up in a different area that I did not recognize, but I was loath to pull it up. I left it alone and it turned out to be the liatris. I guess it came up from seed. It is now at least 6 feet tall! I'm 5'7" and it is taller than I am. Are they supposed to grow this tall? It is in full bloom at the moment and very pretty. Should I expect more next year?

Small bulb clusters put down deep roots the same season and have since divided readily. I have 2 patches, one in damp shade and one in dry sun; both are growing well. This plant provides a nice structure and texture for the perennial garden.

Regarding the comment that the plant is ugly in autumn, the seed heads are popular with goldfinches and maintain their upright form even in winter. I happen to like the wild, overblown look of autumn flowers, they are natural and beautiful.

This is a very tough and easy to grow plant. It is a beautiful native. It does appear very suseptible to certain strains of verticillium wilt though. I planted 50 bulbs one year and they did great that year. The following spring they all grew and got to the point of flowering and half started curling back towards the ground. Nearly all of the original planting has died but seedlings have taken thier place in scattered areas.

Liatris has become one of my favorites! Multiplies like crazy, not invasive though. I planted 3 plants 3 years ago and now have MANY more! I divides several last year to put elsewhere in the yard. Neat, clean habit. A MUST have IMHO! Bumble bees and butterflies LOVE it too!

The first couple years after plating this i had wished i planted them closer together because the flowers were so thin and shabby looking , it took a couple growing seasons for the plants to fill out - but they did and the flowers improved quite a bit to. I definately wasn't happy with them at first - but given time i would say its worth it. I am actually awaiting their return this year rather than dreading it !!

Liatris is the tank of the plant world -- it's almost indestructible! It produces beautiful purple flower spikes that attract all sorts of butterflies and birds year after year with little to no help from the gardener. It tolerates very dry conditions without supplemental water and grows large clumps that divide rather easily for propogation. It does self seed rather vigorously, but they are easily pulled up if unwanted. On the other hand, if you want more of this beautiful plant, the seedlings are easily transplanted - just stick them in some dirt and off they go!

I've grown the White and the purple versions and love them all. The rabbits love them too. I had white Liatris plants in the backyard garden and they ate the stalks down to the grown every year and the plants quit coming up.

More importantly, the BF's love them and so do the Goldfinches! The Goldfinches love eating the seeds from them, so I leave the stems up so they can feed from them.

Beautiful flowers.

Does very well plated in the terrace between the road and the sidewalk, which has poor soil and gets pretty dry. Shades out weeds and is a great butterfly attractor!

Liatris is a very pretty, easy to grow plant. Light aids germination of seeds. Blooms July-August in my garden.

A nice accent plant, native type plant. Does need a little more water than prairie plants - not to live, but to look good.

I have had very good success with this plant. Mine is only a little over a year old, and has tripled in size in that time. I have mine planted in a raised bed with my iris and a blue balloon flower, and the show was spectatular this year.

This needs moderate+ water in New Mexico , Zone 6a-8 otherwise it gets quite droopy, at least at 1-2 years old. I have just purchased Punctata from a reputable native plant nursury. It is supposedly much more suited and xeric for this climate. Don't get me wrong, with a bit of attention these are doing well in my garden in full sun (both bought in the gallon and by bulb).

I received about a dozen liatris bulbs as a 'freebie' in one of my plant orders in the spring of 2004. I didn't hold much hope that they would survive, much less thrive in my sandy "soil"...but I planted them anyway. Much to my surprise not only did they survive, they *multiplied*!

Early this spring (2005) I had to move the bulbs. I thought for sure they'd croak. Once again, these little 'troopers' surprised me. They broke the surface of the ground in their new location within a couple of weeks! And it looks as though there will be many more than the original dozen.

This is one plant that will be in my garden for a very long time. It has a wonderful lavender-blue color, it has a neat and predictable habit, it's easy to grow (obviously!) and it doesn't seem to mind being moved. Liatris definitely adds character and interest to my flower beds.

Oh...and it grows well from seeds! I planted a handful of seeds using the 'Winter Sowing" method (seeds sown in containers and left to do their 'own thing' through the snowy and cold Wisconsin winter. They germinated well from collected seed and already have the beginnings of bulbous roots. I think I'll try a few of these new plants mixed in with my hostas in a shade bed. (Thanks for the info about them growing in the shade!)
~julie~

I have grown liatris (both Kobold and Floristan white) over the last few years - both from bulb and by potted seedlings. We have a fairly wet yard, being on the side of a hill with many springs running through our property - it's not always easy to grow certain types of perennials here due to the moisture content of the soil.

In most cases the liatris - although it prefers a drier soil - will live over and do well here in my garden; just as long as I remember to plant them so that they are well drained and in a rich garden soil (rather than directly in the heavy clay soil that we're plagued with). In drier, sunnier years they do better, but last year - even though we had an overabundance of rain and cloudy days - did grow and bloom fairly well.

Very low maintenance plant. Have had mine for three years in full sun and never had any volunteer seedlings. The same plants seem to just keep to themselves in tight little grassy clumps. Wonderful addition to any garden!

I have this plant in the colors mentioned as well as pink. This is the third year since I've planted it and I am starting to find little plants popping up all over the place. I love it. It adds nice color and texture to my garden.

I love this Liatris! They are spectacular... love the shape of the plant. Very easy to grow. They've been flowering nonstop since March (now it's May). I have them in pots & beds but it seems like they're happier in the sun rather than in shade.

The flowers do not last long enough in my opinion, but I like their fuzzy spikes so much, I have lots of them. The birds like the seeds, so I leave the seedheads. If you want to let it self-sow, watch for grassy-looking seedlings in the spring. They'll bloom the second year. It is wonderful combined with black-eyed susans and daisies.

Zone 5 - Excellent plant to add texture to garden. Tall, spiky, and hardy. Allowed to seed, spreads profusely-with little care. I find liatris in the most unexpected places and it is now growing well in both my sun and shade gardens.

There are 40 species in the genus Liatris. L. spicata is low growing and desirable for cut flowers and for attracting butterflies and/or bees. The flowers are fluffy spikes, like a feather duster, are purple/lilac or white and blossom in late summer from the top down. Grows to a height of 2' with corm like rootstocks and tufts of foliage.

Best cultivated in low humidity areas, do well under most conditions sun, shade, moist. Thrive on neglect, minimum care and attention. Hardy zones 3-10. Propoagate by seed or division of clumps.