Smooth Aster

Fall is one of the best times of year to hang out with family and friends in your backyard landscape. It's not sweltering hot, the worst of the biting insects have gone away, and there is a crisp sense of anticipation in the air. Cherish those long, last days of summer by planning to include fall-blooming plants in your border or in container gardens.

Smooth Aster (Aster laevus) is a great choice to include in that plan. It's a tough, pretty native wildflower that grows in dry prairies and open woods. Sweet, daisy-shaped blossoms are a clear periwinkle blue with bright yellow eyes that deepen in color as the season goes on.

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.

Nature Hills offers many varieties of Aster to bring gorgeous blue tones to your fall landscape. Mix them together for a special collection but be sure to include this hardy selection. It's been known to bloom all the way into November!

Butterflies adore this plant, as it gives them easy access to rich nectar, the fuel they need for their annual migrations.

Plant an odd number of these beauties in front of larger shrubs or ornamental grasses in a loose zig-zagging curve. Why an odd number? That simply looks more natural and informal to our eyes. Planting in a curve also looks more organic and as they grow, they'll create a marvelous "drift" of eye-catching color. Don't forget to add low-growing plants in front of this, we have so many to choose from!

Because this is a native wildflower, in some areas it may perform a little "too well". You are protected with our subscription to Plant Sentry™, which helps us comply with all local and state regulations for invasive plants.

We hope you'll love playing around with color and texture in your landscape. Be sure to call us if you have any questions. Our plant experts are here to help!