Blazing Star ‘Kobold’

Few native perennials deliver the kind of pure, electric impact that Blazing Star 'Kobold' brings to the late summer garden. This compact, award-winning cultivar produces bold, upright spikes of vivid rosy-purple flowers that bloom from the top down — a charming quirk unique to liatris that creates a dynamic, ever-changing display as each spike gradually illuminates over several weeks. The effect is nothing short of dazzling, especially when planted in sweeping drifts where the massed color creates a vibrant, meadow-like tapestry of purple.

'Kobold' is the gold standard compact liatris — a tidier, sturdier improvement over the straight species that holds its upright form beautifully without staking, even in wind and rain. Despite its refined garden manners, it is a rugged, deep-rooted native prairie plant at heart, thriving in tough conditions that defeat less resilient perennials. It is equally at home in formal borders, naturalistic plantings, pollinator gardens, and cottage landscapes, bringing reliable late-season color precisely when much of the garden is beginning to wind down.

Highlights:

• Vivid rosy-purple flower spikes with the unique top-down blooming habit of liatris
• Extended bloom period of several weeks in mid to late summer
• Compact, sturdy habit holds upright without staking — an improvement over the straight species
• Exceptional cut flower — long lasting and striking in arrangements
• Outstanding dried flower — retains color and form beautifully when dried
• A magnet for monarchs, swallowtails, and native bees
• Highly attractive to hummingbirds
• Deer and rabbit resistant
• Thrives in heat, drought, and poor soils once established
• Native to North American prairies — supports local ecosystems and pollinators