Plant Profile

Button Blazing Star - (Liatris Aspera) is a native perennial in the Asteraceae (Daisy) family that grows from a corm.  It is commonly found in prairies, glades, and barren areas in eastern and central US. It blooms late summer into fall with spikes of showy purple composite flowers. 

Button Blazing Star is recognized as a pollinator powerhouse, attracting a wide variety of pollinators that represent the best of the pollinating world. Visitors include hummingbirds and a range of butterflies such as Monarchs, Sulfurs, Swallowtails, and Painted Ladies. With respect to bees, it supports many native bee species, including bumblebees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, mining bees, and leaf-cutting bees, not to mention the various pollinating predators that contribute to the health of local ecosystems. Liatris is one family of flowers that every gardener needs to add to their landscape.

This plant will adapt to most well-drained soils but prefers an acidic sandy or rocky soil in full sun to partial shade. Use in the native, butterfly, rock or cottage garden near the middle to back of the border. It can also naturalize in the wildflower meadow.