Feathery purple flowers—
beloved by butterflies—cover
2-3' spikes beginning in midsummer.
Great for fresh and
dried bouquets. Nice contrast to
other perennials. 8-10 cm bulbs.
Liatris spicata
Flower Form: 1' Stiff bottle-brush of dense flowerheads/flowers at top of spike, open first and continue blooming downward.
Flower Color: Purple
Flowering Date: Mid to late summer
Soil Requirements: Well-drained, moderately fertile, sandy soil/tolerates excess soil moisture in summer but not in winter.
Growth Rate: Moderate
Unique Characteristics: Long lived perennial bulb, that increasingly multiplies in size. A favorite of florist's, outstanding cut flower that has a long vase life. Great textured plant, that starts with fine grass like foliage, and becomes sharper with the vibrant colored bottle brush blooms.
I love the accent this gives to my garden. Before it blooms it stays shorter giving my bed nice green color but allowing the other plants to show. When it blooms it is striking and everyone feels the need to touch them.
I will have to say soil conditions & lighting greatly effects the size of these plants. I planted 6 at the same time, but some were only 2 feet tall and one in bloom was 4 1/2 feet tall which i had to move to the back of my bed. It ended up being perfect as it nestled between 2 shasta daisies creating a striking purple/white back border which everyone commented on.
The smaller ones were cut and mixed with my lillies, coneflowers, and roses into lovely center pieces as they make a great filler.
- Sunday, January 17, 2010
A fast bloomer
Reviewed By:
Lisa (Hillsdale, Michigan)
Left it alone the whole summer, and when I came back to it, it was everywhere. Pinkish, not exactly puple. Wild looking. Very pretty.
