Got Sun? by Carolyn Harstad

Author:Carolyn Harstad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indiana University Press

I am not fond of cultivars with fluffy, double, meringuelike centers or ones that look like something from outer space. ‘Double Decker’ sports little ray flowers perching atop the raised spiny dome. ‘Coral Reef’ and ‘Coconut Lime’ are fascinating plants with unusual flowers, but they do not look like Coneflowers. Cultivars are fun, but as an old-fashioned native plant enthusiast, I want them to at least resemble the species.

Pale Purple Coneflower (E. pallida) blooms a little earlier than E. purpurea. The narrow lavender ray flowers have a pronounced droop.

PLANTING REQUIREMENTS

Plant in any average well-drained garden soil. Will do fine in sandy or clay soils, and tolerates mild drought or even wet feet for a while.

PROPAGATION

Divide mature clumps in spring or fall. Plant ripened seed in fall. Will self-sow but unwanted seedlings are not difficult to weed out. Or transplant them to another spot.

Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)

Zones 3–10

18–30 inches

Blooms: Midsummer to early fall

Lavender, purple, or violet flowers

Deer resistant Rain garden

There are many species of Liatris, so for a longer bloom period, plant several. All are butterfly magnets with tall spires of bright purple-hued flowers and all are beautiful in the center of any sunny garden.

Blazing Star or Gayfeather (Liatris spicata L.) is the species most often found in garden centers. It sends up tall, narrow spikes of small, compact, feathery lavender flowers that resemble a bottlebrush blooming from the top down. Fastidious gardeners can clip the tops off spent flowers and still have a decent looking garden. ‘Kobold’ is 18 inches tall with lilac-purple flowers; ‘Floristan Violet’ is taller, maturing at 30 inches. Its flowers have a rosy hue. ‘Floristan White’ is one of the few whites available, but they are more accurately described as off-white. The plant gets to be 36 inches tall.

Dense Blazing Star (L. punctata Hook.), also called Dotted Blazing Star, has lovely, raggedy, violet-purple flowers. A smaller Liatris, it has speckled leaves.

Meadow Blazing Star (L. ligulistylis) grows 12–24 inches tall in the garden. The soft, fluffy flowers have a rosy hue and march up the stiff stems, branching as they rise. Monarch butterflies flock to these pretty, nectar-rich flowers. This is my favorite Liatris. It is a beautiful floral specimen, but is not easy to find in the nursery trade. If you cannot locate it locally, check out one of the native-plant mail-order nurseries.

Rough Blazing Star (L. aspera) has flower spikes with individual rosy-purple flowers that resemble soft, fluffy, round buttons. It forms a clump and blooms late in the season. It can be shortlived, but is worth having if even for a limited time.

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