Smooth Aster

Need some lovely flower power for your native wildflower garden? Sweet, daisy-shaped blossoms are a clear periwinkle blue with bright yellow eyes that deepen in color as the season goes on. The profuse and cheerful blooms of the Smooth Aster (Aster laevis) are just what you need for late summer colors that keeps going until frost! A dynamic pollinator plant with vital nectar resources, you will absolutely adore having it in your landscape!

The stem is tough, but this variety has smooth leaves. Like other Asters, it still reads as a fine-textured plant well-suited for the middle of flower beds. These faster-growing perennials may not bloom right away, but when they do - they do bloom with abandon! Filling out in cheerful clouds of flowers just as other plants are calling it quits! Not just long-lasting, Aster blooms completely cover the plant from late summer until frost. It is a definite bee and butterfly and hummingbird attractor, even feeding songbirds when left to go to seed.

Definitely one of nature's incredible shows, and so interesting to watch. Plan to add comfy seating nearby. It grows tall, so can handle a spot near the back of a border. Growing to about 2-3 feet high and about 18-24 inches wide, these tough perennials are xeric, incredibly cold-hardy down to USDA zone 4, and deer-resistant! Featuring fast growth and finely textured green leaves, Aster plants look fantastic even when not in bloom! The airy clouds of green foliage are so adaptable and carefree, that they require minimal maintenance to keep them looking great! Simply pinch back the tips of the plant in mid-July, you'll keep it a bit bushier and more compact.

Planting and Application:

Asters are a host plant for the Pearl Crescent Butterflies larvae, and feed hungry bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects with their generous amounts of late-season nectar! It will also be absolutely covered with butterflies and pollinators from dawn through dusk. Try planting a completely native flower garden, naturalized prairie or wildflower border garden. Nature Hills offers many varieties of Aster to bring gorgeous blue tones to your fall landscape. Mix together for a special collection but be sure to include this hardy selection. It's been known to bloom all the way into November!

In the garden bed and border, these are light and airy perennials to add periwinkle, mist-like color and easy care resilience to cottage borders and cut flower gardens alike! Adding just one or two turns any garden into a pollinator garden! It would be fun to use this native as a filler in a large container garden. Smooth Aster is a great choice to include anywhere in the sunny parts of your gardens! It's a tough, pretty native wildflower that grows in dry prairies and open woods.

• Periwinkle Blue Daisy-Like Blooms & Yellow Centers
• Blooms Late Summer Through Frost
• Attracts Butterflies & Bees!
• Easy-Care & Adaptable Native Wildflowers
• Airy Texture For Perennial Gardens, Pollinator Beds & Cottage Borders

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Best grown in full sun, native Asters can take some part sun and afternoon shade in the hottest of its favored USDA growing zones of 4 through 8. Plant these herbaceous perennials in a moderate soil range with good drainage. Xeric plants, native Asters are tolerant of lower moisture environments once established, but should not be allowed to become extremely dry during the summer. Pinching back the stem tips in late spring and early summer will produce denser growth and heavier blooming. This plant may be divided every few years in the spring.

• Full Sun
• Cold Hardy & Adaptable
• Moderate to Low Moisture & Well-Drained Soils
• Pinch Back in Late Spring/Early Summer
• Rust, Disease & Deer Resistant

Order your fall garden upgrades and have them delivered to your doorstep with the beautiful native Smooth Aster from NatureHills.com! Please understand that we must comply with local and state regulations. Sometimes these plants grow a little too well in certain areas and are considered invasive. That's why we've created Plant Sentry™, which helps us comply with all local and state regulations for invasive plants.