Rough Blazing Star
Liatris punctata
A fine-textured blazing star with deep roots that shrug off drought. Rose-purple heads in late summer keep monarchs busy on hot, exposed sites.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The most drought-tolerant Liatris for hot, dry, rocky sites where other blazing stars would fail. fine-textured, long-lived, and genuinely waterwise.
Dotted Blazing Star is the plains specialist of the Liatris family, evolved to thrive in the harshest dry conditions, with deep, penetrating roots that allow it to survive drought that would kill other species. The narrow, wiry stems carry numerous small rose-purple flower heads in late summer, creating a delicate, fine-textured look unlike the denser eastern Liatris species. Monarchs and fritillaries work the flowers intensively. It's slower to establish and more compact than its eastern relatives, making it an excellent choice for rock gardens, dry slopes, or the front of a sunny border where a smaller, tighter plant is preferred. Once established, it is essentially indestructible under drought conditions, a useful quality for hot, exposed sites with minimal supplemental watering.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown rough blazing star propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 1–2 ft · 10–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- August–September
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native range
- Central and western North America. dry prairies, rocky slopes, and roadsides from Manitoba to Texas west to Montana and New Mexico
Care notes for rough blazing star.
Plant in full sun in dry, sandy, or rocky, very well-drained soil. This is the most drought-tolerant Liatris species and requires excellent drainage. it will rot in wet clay. Be patient: it may take two to three seasons to establish and bloom well. Leave seed heads for birds. Divide only if necessary. Dotted Blazing Star prefers not to be disturbed once established. Do not overwater.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside rough blazing star.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.