Liatris novae-angliae var. novae-angliae - New England Blazing Star

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon), available by 9/9

Basics: zones 5-7 (maybe 8?), 3' x 1', full sun, purply-pink in summer to early fall, sandy, lean, really well-drained, dry to average soils, no winter wet

Common names: New England Blazing Star, Gay Feather

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: This plant has a narrow and specific range in New England that includes southern Maine and parts of New York and New Jersey. This batch was grown from seed collected in New England. Native to southern Maine and a rare and protected species in New England.

Habitat: Dry, sandy, low-nutrient, disturbed - grasslands, barrens, and upland dry woods openings. 

More: Sensitive to competition, so my suggestion is plant a mini-colony and leave some open ground for seeding. Prone to powdery mildew, which although unsightly, will not kill the plant. Try this with Asclepias tuberosa, Lespedeza capitata, and Schizachyrium scoparium, but leave sandy spaces for all of those to seed in and edit any heavy seeding. Imagine you are composing your own little sand dune. Deer resistant. Liatris develop from corms and need good winter drainage. Makes a beautiful and long-lasting cut flower (and I have also found that it dries well) if you can bear to cut it. Various pollinators appreciate the late season blooms. Flower Moths use the genus Liatris as a host plant. The species Schinia sanguinea, Bleeding Flower Moth, is a specialist on Liatris and occurs in Maine.

Source: Van Berkum Nursery from seed collected in New England

Image credit: Van Berkum Nursery