skip to main content

Need advice on Liatris

6 years ago

I purchased this plant, Liatris spicata, as a one year old in a 1 gallon pot in May 2013. It bloomed that September, not spectular, so I waitied for the next year. Since then, I have had a bushy rosette each spring, but never the beautiful plumes promised. Each year, I amended the soil and nothing. This year, it sent up a number of stalks, but they never grew florets and just withered. I decided to lift it a few days ago, thinking it needed to be divided, but I am puzzled by what I unearthed. It seems to be a basal large corm with several little ones attached. I have attached a few photos so you can see. My question, should I break off each of these little 'corms' which seem to be sprouting and plant them individually? Will each one produce a flowering plant? Or should I just replant it as is? The first photo shows the 'bottom' of the clump, the second and third show the arrangements of the 'corms'. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Featured Answer

Jen Loo

6 years ago

The liatris corms I got from Veseys this past spring looked like yours but divided so each little ball was a separate plant. I would try dividing it because maybe it is overcrowded and then plant it somewhere in full sun with poor soil but good drainage.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

cecily
6 years ago
Mine (kobold) is in a hot, dry location with poor soil and it blooms nicely. Maybe you're treating it too kindly.
waynez5_ia
6 years ago
That looks like a very healthy liatris to me. Yes. those bulblets can be split off and replanted. Each one should make a new plant. I have no idea why such a healthy looking plant wouldn't bloom. Mine spread all over the place. They must also reseed as I have them coming up in different places in my gardens. I have also split a clump like that with a spade to get new plants.
Related Discussions
wintering unpotted liatris
Q
Comments (3)
the drying harmed them.. not the watering.. they will need air.. any cover must let in a free flow of air movement.. hence the straw suggestion ... ya know.. you sound like a worrier.. if they lived for years.. hanging in baskets all thru winter.. i dont know how much you should worry about them.. the only thing you have changed.. is exposing the bulb/corm ... so.. figure out how to cover the corms.. w/o causing damage ... review prior answer.. rather than me repeating it all again.. good luck ken ps: ... instead of putting all of them in one system... you might want to throw half on mother earth .. in full shade.. on the north side of a structure ..... and cover with straw ... just in case one system fails.. the other may not ... spread your odds of failure ...
...See More
Liatris and silphium (Cup Plant) - sow fresh???
Q
Comments (4)
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!
...See More
What do Liatris Grow and Look Like ?
Q
Comments (20)
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.
...See More
Grow liatris inside
Q
Comments (0)
Hi All- What do need to know to grow a lavender/purple Liatris inside? Thank you
...See More
kitasei
6 years ago
I purchased a bag of liatris from HD this spring and nothing came up. Nothing.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
shouldnt october be root growing month.. storing energy??

where are all the roots??? .. is it really healthy looking???

what do you mean.. you amend the soil every year???

ken
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
6 years ago
It should have more roots than that but most of the energy is stored in the corms. I agree with cecily, they do not want a rich soil - you are being too nice to them.

You can separate the corms or leave as is. I don't know where you are located but here SW of Ottawa it rained torrentially almost everyday of June and July. Do yours have good drainage?

They will reseed too.
northerner_on
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks very much for all of your helpful comments. I would like to add that this plant was in very poor soil. So light and sandy that it was difficult to get it wet. Maybe that was the problem, not enough moisture. Because it did not bloom I added a couple scoops of compost blended with garden soil around the base each year. I loosely termed this 'amending. I have a prime place for this plant and I think having a few of them would be best, so I will divide it. I notice there is considerable 'green' on the little 'corms'. Should they be re-planted so the green part is above ground? Sort of just pressing them in the soil? I am new at this and need all the help I can get. Thank you all.

P.S. I am in West Ottawa and we did have torrential rains, but this plant is sheltered by an overhang of my roof in a front garden. It is south facing and gets full sun. R.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It's invasive, a nonnative and a poor insect magnet. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden

PLANTING IDEAS 5 Summer-Blooming Bulbs to Plant This Spring

By Marianne Lipanovich

These fast-growing bulbs will brighten your garden this summer

GARDENING GUIDES How to Get Your Prairie On

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Have a field day with your landscape, even if you've got just a few modern containers on a paved path

GARDENING GUIDES How to Have Your Own Mini Wildflower Meadow in the City

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

These 3 tips will help you find the right plants for the right place to create an appealing garden

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES 3 Ways Native Plants Make Gardening So Much Better

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

You probably know about the lower maintenance. But native plants' other benefits go far beyond a little less watering and weeding

GARDENING GUIDES Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers

By Annie Thornton

Roll out a welcome mat for pollinators to keep your landscape in balance and thriving

FRONT YARD IDEAS Before and After: Front Lawn to Prairie Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

How they did it: Homeowners create a plan, stick to it and keep the neighbors (and wildlife) in mind

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Design a Meadow Garden Everyone Will Love

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Petite grasses or sedges plus flowers make for a manageable landscape that welcomes wildlife

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Be a Butterfly Savior — Garden for the Monarchs

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Keep hope, beauty and kindness alive in the landscape by providing a refuge for these threatened enchanters

GARDENING GUIDES How to Stop Worrying and Start Loving Clay Soil

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Clay has many more benefits than you might imagine

Sponsored

More Discussions

What's the trick to growing squash up a trellis?

11

Gardenia Distress

5

UK tenants should have ‘right to garden’, leading horticulturist says

5

What can you tell me about hepatica?

3

Daylily foliage malformed. What's wrong?

0