Yes, I'm so sorry. I should have included the proper name. It is Liatris ligulistylis - aka Meadow Blazing Star. Thank you for the helpful information regarding the little tufts. I have read about the seed needing a chill period. I did try that last year by keeping them in the fridge in damp growing medium for 3 months but I've no idea if the seed was harvested at the proper time or ripe. No germination. I also sprinkled seed around under the mother plant last year but they could have been eaten by the birds or rotted before I got the leaves removed this spring. Nothing germinated there, either. This year the mother plants are larger, with lots of seed and the seed appear to my eye to be healthy. I'll give it another go, both in the fridge and also put some outside in a pot as a winter sown pot and see if, between the two, I can get some germination this time round. Do the newly germinated plants look like a little blade of grass? Maybe I had some germinate in the garden, thought they were wild grass and pulled them up? LOL, I can't believe, for a native plant that grows wild here, that I can't get the seed to germinate. I'm going to keep trying. :-) I also read about cutting a mature tuber into sections, keeping one eye on each cut section, then planting those to increase the number of plants. I won't try that until I have several strong mature plants and can afford to lose one if I goof up! Have you tried that method of propagation? My thanks once again for taking time out of your day to help. Mary

Hi Christie, I WS'd Liatris pychnostachya, L. ligulystylis, and S. perfoliatum in 2008. My records show sow dates of Jan 4th, Feb 4th, and Feb 14th and all 3 sprouted well between April 11-19th. AFAIK, these seeds do not have to be sown fresh - fully dried seeds sprouted fine. The seeds that need to be sown fresh are hydrophilic - many of the woodland plants for example - and they need to stay moistened by the soil and leaf litter until they sprout. I purchased some seeds last fall from Prairie Moon nursery that were packed for the year before and they sprouted fine. If you wait a little later in the season, then they are packed for the current year. Don't worry too much about the date on the seeds - even if they are a year old, no doubt the seed company stored them under optimal conditions and I think they are required to perform germination tests on the seeds they sell each year. My experience has been that seeds last much longer than references say, when stored well. I store them in a produce drawer in the refrigerator, with the humidity lever set to low, and throw those dessicants from vitamins, packaging, etc. in the drawer. I've been storing my seeds in the fridge for nearly 25 years and routinely sprout seeds that are 10 years old or older. For example I've sprouted the same Big beef tomato, basil, and parsley seeds the past 3 years that were packed for 1998 - 12 years old! - and herb seeds supposedly have a very short shelf life. And they sprouted like crazy!

I think what I have is Liatris spicata..well I have 'Kobold' but I also have the non-dwarf version. I did plant the white version too, but unfortunately it rotted out in our heavy soil last year with all the rain. That is the one thing I don't like about them; in our heavy clay soil, I have had trouble keeping them healthy with all the rain we've been getting the last 2 years. Our soil is amended, but it just isn't enough. Also, I fertilized them too much last year, and the tall liatris flopped right over. Next year I'll try either skipping the fertilizer for it right away, or I'll give it a dose in spring and then be done with it. My husband calls it "the monster plant" because it really is a strong grower and quite tall and very striking. I think it would make the best statement with 2 or 3 plants planted near each other. The color can be very flourescent. If you get the full sized version, it probably won't grow very tall its first year. Wait until the next year and it'll have a boom.

Nick, Only your yard is puddling...I am 2 block off the Susquehanna, so I can see alot more than that(on high ground however). I would wait a few more weeks to plant it, though you should be able to put it outside in a shady spot, and bring it in if frost or freeze threatens, then when it is time, plant it our in a sunny area. I love liatris, and am dividint a huge clump of white...actually I have it dug already, now I need to get it back in the mud...er, I mean ground. Gerry Waiting for my bridge to close