Description
Blazing Star Seeds 6960 (Liatris spicata). Native of Canada. Perennial.
Approx. 100 seeds/pkt (285 seeds/gram)
A rare specie of the Ontario Prairie producing a spectacular show of purple spikes from July through September. Plants have good frost and wind tolerance and make an excellent dried or fresh flower. This is a valuable native wildflower that is not to be mistaken as purple loosestrife – they are two entirely different plants! Blazing Star is perfect for beds, borders or rock gardens, native plantings and pollinator and butterfly gardens. Height generally ranges from 60-120 cm but in some instances plants can be even taller. In the wild, Blazing Star is typically found growing in moist prairie or sedge meadow habitats. Perennial hardy to Zone 4. For many native and perennial plants, late fall is the best time to sow seed directly outside. Why you ask? Simply put, many of these plants produce seed that is viable but dormant. This means allowing seeds to naturally stratify over window will “wake up” the dormant seed for best results.
How to Grow
Sow seed indoors in a soil-less mix in early March. Seed should have a cold treatment to improve germination. Place seed in planting tray, moisten and put in refrigerator or outside to freeze for 10 days. Bring indoors and place under lights at 20° C soil temperatures. After germination, grow on under lights at a slightly cooler temperature then harden off and plant outside in a sunny site. A late fall outdoor sowing is also very effective as this allows the seed to be naturally stratified over the winter. Germination takes 10-30 days.
