How to Grow and Care for Dense Blazing Star Flower
The purple and lavender blooms of Liatris flowers, also commonly called Dense Blazing Star, provides an obvious exclamation to your garden. This herbaceous perennial is local to the prairies, marsh regions, and grasslands of North America. The upright and clump-forming plant appears with one or more stalks from the tufted base. There also exist smaller cultivars that are available reaching heights of 18 to 24 inches. The linear and grass-like leaves can reach lengths of 12 inches at the base, getting tinier farther up the stem. The fairly tall plant reaches about 36 to 48 inches in height and spread 10 to 20 inches. The drought-tolerant nature helps your plant reduce watering needs and allows your garden to look clear green even during the dry season. The flower-heads are tightly set, tufted, and a feather-like appearance that gives it an amazing view.
Cultivation
The plant thrives well in average, medium, well-drained soils and is also tolerant of poor soils but prefers moist, fertile ones. Liatris performs better generally in moist soils than any other species. It is intolerant of moist soils during the winter.
Sun Tolerance
Liatris thrives well in a location with full sun. The plant needs exposure to light for at least 6 hours a day. It is tolerant of summer heat and humidity.
Water Requirements
The plant needs no additional irrigation before the plants emerge and require water thoroughly. The hottest months will prevent stunted blossoms and leaf with one inch of water every week.
Blossom Time
The red-purple shade flowers bloom from July to August period of the year.
Temperature and Moisture
Liatris is completely receptive to the heat and humidity of summer weather in warm environments. It may rot in wet soils over the wintertime.
Pests and Fertilizers
The herbaceous perennial is not a large feeder, but sometimes the richness of soil is poor. So, a balanced flower fertilizer can be used in the spring for once a year to achieve active growth.
Hardiness Zone
It is desirable to ensure the range of hardy zones to lie in between 3-8 for the effective growth of perennial.
Varieties
There are around 40 naturally occurring species of Liatris, and within certain species, there are several desirable named cultivars. Some of them are listed below:
- Dotted blazing star: purple blooms remain from August until cold
- Floristan white: three-foot white flowers blooming from July
- Kobold: a container plant that blooms in late July
- Rough blazing star: 6-foot flowers that require support during growth
- September glory: 4- foot purple spikes plant blossoms from August to September
The stem leaves of the plant gradually decrease in size toward the top and blooms in summer. Liatris belongs to the aster class, with every flower head having only feathery disk clusters and no ray flowers. The spring seedlings arrive by directly placing the flowering stalk in an outside seedbed and coating with 1/2 in. of soil.
Liatris is nearly resistant to all insects, but it can be inclined to several diseases. Leaf spots, rusts, stem rot, powdery mildew, and wilt are some of the common illnesses for the plant. It can be prevented by spacing the plants in good air circulation and sunlight exposure environments.
The seeds of Dense Blazing Star need about a month to grow, and the cold, moist climate of fresh spring boosts germination. The seeds can be sown outdoors in the late fall rather than indoors. Plants produced from seed will not develop until the second year. However, plants can be grown in a small border of sun-loving annuals.
