Liatris microcephala - Smallhead Gayfeather

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 4-8, 12-18" x 18", full to part sun, flowers vary from magenta purple to (occasionally) white and open during mid to late summer from top to bottom on stalks that rise up above a grassy tuft of foliage, likes lean soil, wants good drainage and is drought tolerant once established, no winter wet.

Common names: Smallhead Gayfeather, Appalachian Blazing Star

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina along the Appalachian Spine

Habitat: Found on acidic rock outcroppings, in open woods, sandy prairie and grassland, often in association with Pine-Oak forests or Oak Barrens.

More: All Liatris are very attractive to pollinators. This is a charming, small variety that is excellent massed at the front of a sunny, dry border or in a rock garden or container. Makes a good cut flower for small posies. Liatris grow from corms and need good winter drainage. Deer resistant.

Source: Van Berkum Nursery or landscape plugs from North Creek Nursery

Image credit: David J. Stang via Creative Commons through the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox