Blazing star sends up tall, fluffy spikes of purple flowers that open from the top downward, creating a striking vertical accent in the summer border above narrow, grass-like foliage that stays attractive all season. A North American prairie native, it is a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds and performs beautifully in naturalized meadow plantings as well as formal borders. The foliage often takes on attractive bronze tones in fall.