Spike Gayfeather Dense Blazing Star

Brand: American Beauties Native Plants®

Color: Pink shades, Purple shades

Features

• Hummingbird and butterfly magnet!
• Long blooming with big, showy bloom spikes
• Perfect for massing at the back of a garden
• Great for late season and perfect for cutting
• Easy to grow and drought tolerant

Details: Tallest of the genus with upright spikes bearing long, pinkish-purple tassels in July and August. One of the best easy-care garden performers, this deer-resistant selection is great for massing at the back of a garden. Its nectar is sought out by butterflies, bees, rare moths and even hummingbirds.
This plant looks great with other Liatris species, Echinacea (Coneflower), Silene (Royal catchfly), and prairie grasses in a formal or naturalized meadow garden.
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun, somewhat tolerant of poor soils, but prefers moist, fertile ones and generally performs better in moist soils than most other species of Liatris. It can tolerate summer heat and humidity. Cut back growth in the fall or late winter.

Fun Fact: Liatris features a quite unusual bloom form. Unlike most spike-type varieties, its flowers open from the top down, not the bottom up. This makes the variety work as an excellent cut flower; as the flower at the top begin to wear, they can be removed easily and the stalk will continue pushing out fresh blooms farther down the stem.