Gayfeather

Also known as 'Dense Gayfeather' and 'Blazingstar', the plants grow twenty-four to forty-eight inches tall with tall spikes of purple flowers. Blooms from July to mid August. It is a native plant from Long Island, New Tork to Michigan, south to Florida and Louisiana and prefers moist areas, meadows, borders of marshes, savannas, damp slopes, wet-mesic prairies, in neutral to slightly acid soil.

Sow seeds in full to partial sun, and in areas with moist to moderately moist soils. Tolerates a combination of heat and humidity and is excellent as a cutflower, plus it attracts butterflies and seed-eaters. A perennial plant in zones 3-10.

Gayfeather can have seed dormancy issues so moist chilling the seed for two to three weeks to break dormancy is recommended.