Liatris aspera, Button Blazing Star

These first came to the Perth meadow labels as Ontario Blazing Star, Liatris cylindracea, which led to some confusion until I got to know the Liatris family better and was able to recognize them as Rough Blazing star, their taller cousins, which sometimes also go by the name Button Blazing Star.

Taller is relative in this case, with these growing to around 2’ tall in the Perth meadow and reportedly stretching to around 3’ in some settings, well above the 8” to 12” of Ontario Blazing-star but quite a bit shorter than the 5’ of Dense Blazing-star, Liatris spicata.

Another significant variation between Liatris species is their moisture preferences. It seems that the taller they are, the more moisture they prefer, with this species preferring average to dry conditions. They all love plenty of sunshine though.

Their brilliant purple blooms start opening toward the very top of the stem and work their way downward over several weeks, attracting an incredible array of pollinators, especially bumblebees over that time.

Below ground, they form hard rounded corms that store their nutrients from one season to another. Unfortunately, they do seem to be enjoyed by voles and the small initial patch in the Perth meadow disappeared last winter. Happily, many seedlings were already coming along and were planted out last fall so I hope to see these cheerful flowers back in the next year or two. There are many more plants this time and they are scattered around to a few locations so I’m hoping that they will find a balance between feeding the mammals and feeding the pollinators over time.

Despite the loss of blooms and their subsequent seeds last year, between the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library and Prairie Moon Nursery, I have plenty winter sown for the coming spring if you are looking to add Liatris to the spaces you tend.

If you are looking for a home for these, they are particularly striking alongside Orange Butterfly Weed, Pearly Everlasting and Little Bluestem. Additional companions for a sunny, average to dry site could include Prairie Smoke, Blue Eyed Grass, Lance Leaved Coreopsis, Sneezeweed, Wild Blue Flax, Old Field and Early Goldenrod and White Heath Aster.