Liatris spicata

RHS Plant Profile
button snakewort

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Liatris spicata?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
button snakewort RHS 2002
button snakewort visionspictures.com
button snakewort visionspictures.com

Other common names

dense blazing star, Kansas gay feather

Synonyms

Liatris spicata callilepis
Liatris callilipes
Liatris calilepis

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
22 Suppliers

A perennial to 70cm in height, with narrow foliage and purplish-pink flower spikes in late summer and early autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Asteraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Tufted
Genus
Liatris are herbaceous perennials with narrow, grass-like foliage and erect, bottlebrush-like spikes of flowers which open from the top down
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
E North America

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in light, moderately fertile soil that is reliably moist but not wet overwinter; full sun is essential

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in autumn. Propagate by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Prairie planting
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead regularly then cut stems down to the ground in winter

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free