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The Deep Middle


Gardening & writing in the prairie echo

In Praise of Meadow Blazingstar

8/18/2017

2 Comments

 
I've sure been enjoying Liatris ligulistylis, meadow blazingstar, this last week or two. I don't really see monarchs in significant numbers until it starts blooming. Native to the northern Great Plains and Midwest, it purportedly mimics the scent of monarch pheromones. All I know is the flower buds are pretty, the blooms are pretty, the seed heads will be pretty (if brief), and the winter stalks add stellar vertical interest as the snow flies. When our plants can celebrate all the dimensions of garden making -- from art to sensory stimulation to ecological importance -- they become elevated and deeply meaningful places to rediscover wildness. 

Meadow blazingstar has a corm -- a bulb-like mass -- that transplants easily when the plant is dormant. I find it takes about 3 years to get a mature plant with many stalks, but after that it declines quickly and may last only 4-5 years in the landscape. I'd be interested to hear from those who have observed it in the wild and how it performs over time.
2 Comments
Regina Newlin
8/19/2017 02:27:40 pm

Where can I find information on growing liatris ligulistylus from seed????

Reply
Benjamin link
8/19/2017 02:45:49 pm

Regina -- Prairie Moon Nursery is a start, follow their germination codes. Liatris should need 30-60 days of cold, moist stratification to germinate. I just sow seeds into open beds or old containers with soil in them, and let winter do the work for me. Tons of seedlings come late spring.

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    Benjamin Vogt's thoughts on prairie gardening in Nebraska. With a healthy dose of landscape ethics, ecophilosophy, climate change,  and social justice.

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prairie inspired  design

Lincoln & Omaha, Nebraska

Monarch Gardens is a prairie-inspired design firm. We specialize in lawn to meadow conversions as well as urban shade gardens.

Employing 95% native plants, our designs are climate resilient, adaptable, and provide numerous ecological benefits while artistically reflecting wilder landscapes.
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