Liatris spicata corms

Loxley

Hi, I have some Liatris corms. I've never grown them before, so was wondering whether they can be planted now or is it better to wait until early spring (say, March)? Some will be started off in pots so I can decide where to put them later, some will go direct into the ground.

Fairygirl

I find them a bit slow to get big enough to flower, and they're very susceptible to slugs/snails when they emerge, so it's easier to pot them up for a while. 
They'll flower in pots anyway, so you can always stick them into gaps while in the pots until you know where you want them. 
Mine are better now, but they're always a bit iffy if it's milder when the new growth appears, as it's easy prey for the molluscs. 

squirral87k4-WvGwT

Loxley said:

Hi, I have some Liatris corms. I've never grown them before, so was wondering whether they can be planted now or is it better to wait until early spring (say, March)? Some will be started off in pots so I can decide where to put them later, some will go direct into the ground.

what did you end up doing?

I ordered some corms (purple variety) from ebay back in December, they arrived as tiny corms! I planted some straight into my clay heavy soil and some in a large pot left out with no protection.... a few have come up in the ground (I suspect more would have but I probably accidentally crushed a few whilst digging the soil over).... the ones in a pot have come up and doing well... 

I also have some white liatris corms (much larger) which I planted out in March in individual small pots so I can plant out later... they haven't made an appearance yet...

Nollie

Mine grew happily directly planted into clay soil, but I did improve it with grit and compost, mostly for the benefit of the lavender intermedia planted with them. They dwindled after a few years, but I picked up two new packs from Lidl yesterday for around £1 each 😊 

Loxley

I planted some in pots and placed them at the end of the garden. They all rotted. Some were planted in a raised bed at the community garden, haven't seen signs of growth yet. I planted 10 in pots in the polytunnel at the community garden, and they are all growing away nicely!