Lavender Glowsticks is a selection of prairie blazing star, a tough North American native that thrives in heavy clay and summer heat. It was chosen for very tall flower stalks that make up more than half of the plant's height, and for a long bloom period.
The lavender-purple spikes rise to about 4 feet in the heat of summer from a sturdy base of dark green leaves. Pollinators and butterflies swarm the flowers. Use it in prairie plantings, the back of a sunny border, or the cutting garden.
What it looks like
Very tall, dense, bottlebrush-like spikes of small, fuzzy lavender-purple florets that open from the top down, the flower portion making up more than half the stem height. Spikes rise on stiff, upright stems from a robust mound of narrow, grass-like, dark green leaves. The plant grows about 48 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. At peak a group of plants looks like a cluster of glowing lavender wands.
Growing it with lavender
Prairie blazing star loves the same full sun and lean soil as lavender, and its tall lavender-purple wands tower behind lavender plants for a matching color echo in midsummer.
Care
Plant in full sun in poor to average soil; it handles clay, heat and dry spells once established. Hardy in zones 3-9. Very tall spikes may lean in rich soil or shade, so keep it lean and sunny, and cut spent stems or leave them for winter interest.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Liatris pycnostachya
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Flower color: Lavender-purple
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Foliage: Dark green
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Growth habit: Upright clump with tall flower spikes
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Mature size: 4 ft tall × 18–24 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Mid-July
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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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
