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Flower Index Index by Family Set 1 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6 Set 7

Liatris pycnostachya, L. spicata | Prairie Blazing Star Liatris | Kansas Gayfeather

Pronounced Li-a-tris (long 'i') pic-no-stach-ya

The family is Asteraceae (Daisy and Sunflower Family) (Pronounced ass-ter-AY-see-eye )

First Bloom Date:

2017 July 17

2023, July 15

2024 June 15

I found a quick snippet of the base of the plant in the 2017 video at 20:38 seconds. This may be the plant in the July 2011 video at 5:53 seconds (first garden video on YouTube!), but it is shorter and in the front bed, so we would have moved it at sometime.

I no longer have the very tall variety as of July 2023. I have had this Liatris perennial for a long time (at least before 2014) and in July 2023, I decided to finally take it out. It has been hardy and a faithful bloomer, but it is not right for my garden. It takes up a lot of soil space at the base and always gets to be about 5 to 6 feet tall. The tall stems (aka terminal spikes) end up flopping over and sprawling out everywhere. I think a good nickname is Floppy Liatris. I have tried to embrace the randomness of where they fall and enjoy them as they choose to go. I have on a few years also tried staking them up and I do not like how they look tied up. They seem to be a plant that is meant to be free as the name 'prairie" suggests. I understand there are shorter Liatris plants and I want to see if I can find the shortest version to add back into my garden.

As a Missouri native perennial, I wanted to love this plant, but not every plant is right for every garden. I had it planted on the top raised bed which made it even taller. I thought about moving it, but still the way it sprawled out taking up precious space caused me to give up on it.

This Liatris pycnostachya has a common name to be 'Kansas Gayfeather' rather than just 'Gay Feather.' It is part of the aster family (Asteraceae) but does not have a daisy-like flower. My written journal notes also have a common name of 'button snakeroot.'

There is a Liatris spicata which is very similar but is commonly called Dense Blazing Star and is more commonly grown. Some cultivar names of Liatris spicata are 'Alba,' 'Callilepsis,' 'Kobold,' Floristan White,' and 'September Glory.' I am thinking these are probably too tall for me as well.

There is also a Liatris aspera which is commonly known as "Rough Blazing Star" and gets to be about 1 to 3 ½ foot, which might be a shorter option.

There is also a Liatris cylindracea (Dwarf Blazing Star) which seems to be the shortest version at 1 ½ to 2 feet tall and might be the one I need to look for purchasing.

I found this tag of a Liatris spicata Blazing Star, which I purchased in 2022. The tag shows 3.14 to 3.93 inches. I saw in my photos where it was planted and thought it was gone. It seems it was moved because I spied it again in 2024! It is a short variety.

I saved the tag when it was purchased after all these years!

2024

This was a delightful surprise with the Liatris showing up in the back large bed on the left. I think it was moved from the right side bed when we put in the hammock pole. It is a shorter variety. It still fell over, however, and I feel it still needs a stake or I need to embrace the leaning.

Here are photos from July 24, 2023.

2021

The below photos were taken July 21, 2020. We had made a vignette in the garden. You can see the Liatris on the upper right corner of the photos.

The Liatris is to the right of the umbella in the back. It is actually standing tall in this photo because I think I tied a jute around it.

This is the shorter variety still in the side bed in 2020. I am going to guess it was moved when we put in the post for the hammock swing.

2019

This is the tall one getting big before it blooms. I think it looks nice like this. But then it gets taller and blooms and falls all over the place. I did not like taking time to stake it.

This is the shorter one still in the side bed as seen in the 2018 photos below.

This sure looks beautiful with the Zinnias.

2018

These photos ae the location in the side bed along the walkway which I thought I no longer had, but I think they are the same as what I see in 2024. The tag was scanned in 2022 (see above), but I bet I scanned it late and it is supposed to be 2018. I think they were moved to where they are now in the large last garden bed on the right.