Liatris spicata

ROSY GAYFEATHER

Liatris spicata
ROSY GAYFEATHER

Impressive bottlebrush spires of rose-purple continue to unfurl in summer & autumn, like fuzzy lances on Liatris spicata.
Plus it gives excellent cut flowers, and so Liatris spicata is commercially farmed for the floristry trade.

But it also gives a handy and hardy garden display, especially as it struts it’s stuff in the late summer and autumn, when many other bloomers have given up with a gasp in the heat.
Interestingly the flowers open from the top of the spike, down. So the stout spikes look like fuzzy lances.

Liatris spicata is a hardy, easily grown & low maintenance plant.
And reliably grown from seed to mature bulbs.
Bulbs are best left in the ground and will steadily increase and naturalize beautifully into neat, grassy clumps of foliage. So the foliage is a handy garden contrast as well.

Plant in Full Sun to Part Shade.
And this hardy perennial bulb tolerates frost well, and is also resistant to heat.
Liatris spicata is not a thirsty plant, so it is a water-wise choice if water is limited.
So it is drought resistant with minimal care.

However soil must be well drained, but otherwise Liatris is not particularly fussy.
It is rarely if ever troubled by pests and diseases.

I believe it gained the common name of “Gayfeather” centuries before the modern use of the term Gay.

75cm. High in interesting flower x 45cm. Wide neat clump of grassy foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Sow indoors at any time / or directly in garden late winter-spring.

INDOORS: Sow the seeds on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then press the seeds gently into the mix. B
Now barely cover with sieved mix, as light helps germination with these seeds.

Continue to keep the punnet moist in a warm, well-lit place) not in direct sunlight).
Because temperatures of 15-20°C approx. are ideal for rapid and optimum germination.

Seedlings emerge in 30-40 days approx.

But if the seeds are shy to break dormancy and sprout – then cling wrap the moist punnet & place in fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.

Then remove from fridge, unwrap punnet & return to warm, well-lit place at 15-20°C approx. Continue to keep moist.

SEED COUNT: 25 seeds per pack.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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