Great Design Plant: Meadow Blazingstar (Liatris Ligulistylis)
One morning several years ago, before the monarch butterfly populations crashed in 2012 and 2013, I was looking out of my window at the garden, admiring the splendor I’d created. Suddenly a far corner lifted off in a splash of orange, then another splash, then another. It was very unexpected.
I’d planted a liatris over there that I knew little about, since I was still in the beginning stages of experimenting with native plant placement. I rushed for my camera and witnessed something I never had before or have since — a dozen monarchs swooping and landing and literally fighting for every bloom on meadow blazingstar (Liatris ligulistylis). I’ve come to learn it is by far their favorite nectar source, and is a stunning plant in almost any soil condition.
Botanical name: Liatris ligulistylis
Common names: Meadow blazingstar, Rocky Mountain blazingstar
Origin: U.S. native in scattered spots in the Rocky Mountains and the Front Range, the northern Plains and the Midwest from Wisconsin, Illinois and Arkansas west.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 3 to 7; find your zone); best planted if native to your area
Water requirement: Medium to wet soil
Light requirement: Full sun to 50 percent shade
Mature size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 1 foot wide
Benefits and tolerances: Very low maintenance; unique blooms, unlike other Liatris species; ornamental seed heads in fall; butterfly magnet
Seasonal interest: Fall color can be a rainbow assortment
When to plant: Spring to fall; seed in fall or winter
Distinguishing traits. Like all Liatris species, meadow blazingstar blooms from the top down. Its flower show will last about two weeks in mid to late summer; the blooms are perhaps most stunning backlit by a sunrise or sunset.
How to use it. With its small blueprint, you can tuck meadow blazingstar in almost anywhere. The tall flower spikes will add vertical interest in the middle of the border or especially among short grasses, like little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). In a few years a single flower stalk will turn into several.
Photo by Flickr user Marilena
Planting notes. I’ve found that this is a much more adaptable plant than many sources suggest. I have it growing in moist, medium and dry clay in full sun to 25 percent shade. It thrives in all of those locations.
I strongly suggest placing it by milkweed for a one-two punch — the Liatris will draw in monarchs (I usually don’t see any monarchs until it starts blooming in mid-July), which will then lay eggs on the milkweed, their only host plant. Asclepias incarnata and A. sullivantii are perfect companions to meadow blazingstar. Ready to make a monarch nirvana?
More:
Be a Butterfly Savior — Garden for the Monarchs
Browse plants native to your region
