Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Planting anything right now?, 1 by tabasco

tabasco wrote:

I planted some of the corms (which look and are treated like bulbs) in pots (or you could use some kind of seed tray) in early spring to get them going, then set out the seedlings into the garden. You can also plant the corms and keep them in pots for the patio or whatever. I looked for some liatris corm planting instructions on the Internet, but couldn't find any so you will have to rely on information published this spring when they are widely available to purchase....

You can also plant the corms right into the garden and they will grow just fine if you don't have voles/moles who like to dig around and find tasty treats (and slugs like them too). The seedlings look like shoots of grass in the spring so you have to be careful not to pull them out. They like good drainage and decent garden soil and good sunshine.

Now, if you do 'wintersowing' in your area, you could try to collect some liatris seeds from the shoots that have bloomed ( from liatris in other people's gardens) and try to 'wintersow' them. I suggest this because Liatris 'punctata' is more xeric (which might be good in your area) than 'spicata' but 'punctata' is not generally available in 'corm' form to purchase but you may be able to find it growing in a park or garden somewhere.

Again, these suggestions are for Ohio gardening--I don't know about your growing environment in TX.... But liatris are pretty easy to grow...

All right. Too Much Information, I know, but liatris is one of my favorites and I think underused in the garden, so I say give it a go! And the butterflies love it!