i heard and tried (the paper towel method of starting seeds), and it worked like magic.i use it for the seeds that i have problems with including purple coneflowers and gaillardia.cuts down on germination time.i then take the sprouted seeds and then put them in pots. let me know how you make out.

Lovefornature, My bed with the liatris is mostly yellows, whites, and purples. The purples are a bit of a hodgepodge of reddish to bluish purples. That is always the problem with purple. This half-circle bed is big enough so that the reddish ones can be placed on the left and the bluer ones are kept to the right side. I have a variegated miscanthus grass (green and white) and several burning bushes in the background, along with a high pruned and heavily thinned crabapple tree in the center. Underplantings include several clumps of purple coneflower, a large purple daylily which is very similar in color to the Kobold, a white daylily (which means in dl speak slightly yellow), yellow trumpet lilies (quite tall), several Moonshine (yellow) yarrows (also tall), a big clump of balloon flowers (blue purple), two varieties of bellflower (lighter blue purple to darker blue purple), lactiflora and glomerata (milky and clustered), several Purple Dome asters for fall color, a large stand of Becky Shasta daisies, a small clump (3 plants and still small after 3 seasons) of digitalis grandiflora (soft yellow), some Moonshine coreopis, an edging to the right front of sedum mediovariegata (yellow variegated), and sedum Frosty Morn (white & green variegated) to the rear around the miscanthus, and probably a half dozen other plants I forgot. If it were me planting your area, I would plant the clear bright red Jacob Kline monarda somewhere else in your garden. The rest of your selections would work well together with the liatris. Purples and bright red can work together and be very striking, but you need to get the combo exactly right, usually with a nice quantity of dark, chartreuse, or bronzy foliage. Also the monarda is a fast grower and your bed could quickly become the "red garden". Raspberry Wine monarda, which someone else mentioned, would work well I think with liatris.

Well, my blazing stars continue to be overwhelmed with butterflies, mostly monarchs but I have noticed a couple other varieties. This past sunday afternoon I must have had about 30 of them either on plants or in the air. This is in my native garden that is less disturbed than my perennial garden in front of my house. My husband wants me to plant more! fyi: I purchased these plants at a local nursery specializing in native plants. Jodi

Hi mrssims, I am in 6 and we had the great warm weather and now cold! I have many liatris and not seen any sign of mine yet. Think it maybe to soon! I sure wish the warm would come back. Hope this helps.