Scaly Liatris Is a Native That Offers Blooms All Summer Long

This pretty prairie plant is beloved by pollinators

On the first day of August 2006 , my botanizing comrade and I were making only our third stumble to a waste on a farm possess by friends in Kentucky . We already knew that this spot never looked the same twice , so we had few expectation as to what we might see . Our pleasure on comer can hardly be line . As far as the center could see was a ocean of spectre of purple , pinkish , and blanched . My clothes designer brain immediately kicked in — if only I could replicate this in someone ’s garden !

Scaly genus Liatris is typically found in teetotal sandy prairies and barrens . It isfairly unusual , being short than most otherLiatrisspecies . Whengrown in a garden situation in decent soil , this plant looks all the better for the extra nutrients and body of water it gets . It can have a more “ roundy - moundy ” visual aspect , it flowers for an extensive flow of time(throughout summertime ) , and , unlike most other genus Liatris , it can be divided . It also attracts a plethora of pollinator , making it both a gardener ’s and an entomologist ’s dreaming .

A less obvious property of this perennial is its attractive seed oral sex ( though the stage just prior to green seminal fluid can be a shade unworthy for a while ) , and for those of us who like to grow our own plant life , theseeds are not difficult to collectand grow on . has been long - livedfor me , and I have not meet any serious disease or pests , though deer will crunch on it occasionally . It is a prairie native certainly deserving seeking out and is sure to overhear care .

Scaly liatris

Liatris squarrosa

Zones:4–8

Conditions : Full Dominicus ; dry , sandy , well - drained dirt

aboriginal stove : Eastern and central United States

Sources :

Hilary Cox is an Arizona - based horticulturist , garden designer , and lensman . She is the co - author ofThe Gardener ’s guidebook to Prairie Plants .

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