Native to wetlands, bottomlands, savannas, and ditches along the coastal plain from North Carolina to Florida to Louisiana, Stokesia is evergreen in the south. It features fluffy, cornflower-like, violet-blue flowers 2 1/2” across from summer through fall. Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Plants tolerate filtered sunlight but prefer full sun. Surprisingly good drought and heat tolerance, plants will not tolerate poorly drained soil in winter.
‘Mel’s Blue’ was discovered in 2007 as a chance mutation of an unnamed variety of Stokesia laevis.