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Dense Blazing Star, Liatris spicata
Dense blazing star is an airy plant with flower spikes that reach 60 cm to 1.50 m in height. Its bright purple-pink flowers bloom in July and August. Due to the ongoing destruction of Ontario's tallgrass prairie remnants, it is a threatened species in its most northern range, southern Ontario.
Ecology:
Dense blazing star is a monarch butterfly magnet, providing the butterflies with quality nectar to gain energy and strength to produce the super generation of monarchs that will migrate back to Mexico in the fall. Bumble bees and hummingbirds flock to the abundant flowers for the nectar. Blazing star is the host plant for some moth species. Vast amounts of seeds feed songbirds in winter.
Growing conditions:
In the wild, dense blazing star grows in moist prairies, savannas, and old fields. It prefers full sun but also grows in part sun and is very adaptable to any soil with average to moist conditions.
Dense Blazing Star
60 cm -
1.50 m
great pollinator late summer full sun - part sun humming- birds deer resistant any soil type host plant rain garden medium - moist bird seed pink Garden symphony:
Dense blazing star looks stunning intermingled with grey-headed coneflower and various grasses like big bluestem and graceful sedge. Many other plants go well with dense blazing star, like common boneset, swamp milkweed, sneezeweed or black-eye Susan.