Kobold is a compact form of our native blazing star and one of the best for borders. Bright rosy lavender flower wands open from the top down in early summer, seeming to glow at the tips.
It grows about 1½ to 2½ feet tall with narrow, grassy leaves, making a strong vertical accent without the height of taller types. Bees and butterflies love it, deer seldom do serious damage, and the spikes are excellent fresh or dried in arrangements.
What it looks like
Dense, bottlebrush-like spikes of small, fuzzy florets in bright rosy lavender-purple, opening from the top of the spike downward so the tips are brightest. Multiple spikes rise on stiff, upright stems. Leaves are narrow and grass-like, up to 10 inches long at the base and shorter up the stem, in mid-green. The plant forms a compact, upright clump about 18 to 30 inches tall and 12 to 16 inches wide. At peak the clump is a bundle of glowing purple wands.
Growing it with lavender
Blazing star enjoys the same sun and well-drained soil as lavender, and its upright wands echo lavender's spiky form while adding height behind it and feeding the same bees and butterflies in midsummer.
Care
Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil; it tolerates poor soil and some drought once settled, but the corms can rot in wet winter ground. Hardy in zones 3-9. Cut stems for bouquets as the top florets open, and leave spent spikes standing for seed-eating birds or cut them back in fall.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Liatris spicata
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Flower color: Rosy lavender-purple
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Foliage: Mid-green
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Growth habit: Compact, upright clump
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Mature size: 18–30 in tall × 12–16 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Late-June
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Peak bloom: Mid-July
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
