Perennial · Deer-resistant
Gayfeather
Liatris mucronata
Also called: Blazing Star, Dotted Gayfeather
Spires of feathery purple that open top-down in fall, when Monarchs are moving through and desperate for nectar. A vertical accent among grasses.
Growing & care
Wants sharp drainage and full sun; rots in wet clay. Grows from a corm and is very drought tough. Leave the seed heads for birds and winter form.
Bloom season
In bloom: Sep–Nov · Colors: purple
Where to buy
Look for gayfeather (Liatris mucronata) at: Prairie Moon Nursery, native Texas nurseries.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with gayfeather
Same conditions, same uses — species that share gayfeather's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
Fall Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A mounding aster that vanishes into the background all summer, then bursts into a haze of blue-purple daisies in October — a lifeline of late nectar for pollinators..
Indian Blanket
Gaillardia pulchella
The red-and-gold pinwheel daisy that blankets Texas roadsides all summer.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A prairie staple whose big rosy daisies feed butterflies in summer and finches in winter.
Pink Evening Primrose
Oenothera speciosa
The pink cups that wash over Texas fields and roadsides in spring.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A towering prairie sunflower that lines its tall stems with gold in fall, feeding late pollinators and then a run of seed-eating birds.
Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera
A whimsical prairie flower whose drooping petals form a sombrero beneath a tall central cone.