Liatris (Blazing Star) in Zone 5a & 5b

Liatris spicata

When to plant liatris (blazing star) in zone 5b

Zones 5a and 5b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Liatris (Blazing Star) doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoors	Not typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outside	Apr 26–May 3
Estimated bloom	Apr 25 '28–May 2 '28 (First real harvest the season after planting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 3-6 ft.

Liatris is a North American native grown from a corm, and it does two things backwards compared with everything else in the bed.

How liatris (blazing star) fits zone 5's season

Zone 5b's frost-free window runs about 148 days, from May 10 to October 5. Liatris (Blazing Star) takes about 1 growing season to reach full flowering, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.

Liatris (Blazing Star) is hardy in zones 3-8, so in zone 5b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 1 ft of spread at maturity.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Liatris (Blazing Star).

Where to buy liatris bulbs

We haven't vetted bulb/tuber suppliers yet. Our seed-supplier list below doesn't carry these. The growing-guide source cited above is a good starting point for where to buy.