Heath aster, New England aster

Heath Aster, Symphyotrichum ericoides

By Kim Willis These articles are copyrighted and may not be copied or used without the permission of the author.

For those of you who like native plants or those who need a little color in the late fall garden the heath aster may be a good choice. The heath aster produces a froth of tiny white daisy like flowers that lend an airy elegance to informal beds in fall. 

 

Heath asters are suitable for planting zones 5-8, are a hardy perennial plant and drought tolerant. They will grow in full sun or partial shade and will grow in most types of soil. They are common along roadsides and in abandoned fields but you can also buy plants from native plant nurseries or start them from seed.  Heath asters survive fires well and are one of the native prairie plants that may benefit from periodic burning.

Heath asters have one or more stems with narrow, long leaves about 3 inches long and a ¼ wide at the base, and leaves get smaller and narrower farther up the stem. Near the top of the stalk the leaves may have a short spine at the tip. As the stalks grow the lower leaves are shed. Leaves are arranged alternately.  Stems are hairy near the top and become brown and woody with age.  The plant stems branch by the end of summer, forming an open bush shape about 2 feet tall.  Plants die back to the ground each winter.

In late summer and until frost heath asters produce abundant clusters of tiny white flowers about a ½ inch across. There are about 8-20 white ray flowers and a cluster of yellow disk flowers in the center, a typical “daisy” flower. As the flowers age the disk turns reddish. The back of the flower is surrounded with rows of narrow blunt tipped bracts which may curl back away from the flower.  The flowers have no scent.

Heath aster flowers produce flat brown seeds, each with a tiny bit of fluff to help move them to new locations.  Plants can be started by sowing seeds where you want them to grow in fall or early spring. They need a period of cold stratification to germinate.

Heath asters have rhizomous root systems and can be aggressive spreaders when they like the location.  I pull all but a few plants from selected areas of my garden beds in early spring.  If you let them multiply too much the bed will become a matted mass of aster plants. You can divide the rhizomes and share plants if you like.

The flowers of heath aster are popular with bees, flies, beetles, and butterflies.  The tiny flowers make good cut flowers and can be dried for arrangements also.  Some plants have thick, short clusters of flowers, forming more of a wand shape and others have looser clusters.

The plants are the larval hosts for the silver checkerspot butterfly and several moths.  The plants may be eaten when young by deer and rabbits or livestock but are avoided as they get older.  Hay is considered unusable if it has too much heath aster mixed in it.

Native Americans used the heath aster as an aromatic herb in sweat lodges.   It was used to revive people who had fainted or who were unconscious.  From what I can gather a smoldering piece is held close to the patient for this purpose. 

New England aster

New England Aster, (Aster novae-angliae), spreads it’s pretty purple flowers along sunny roadsides and in fields in late summer and fall. It often grows in the same areas as Goldenrod, producing a stunning color combination gardeners often imitate. In fact, cultivars of both plants are available for gardeners to use for gorgeous fall color.

New England asters are perennial plants that die to the ground each winter. The stems are stiff and hairy and feel sticky to the touch. The long dark green leaves seem to clasp the stems at their base. The plants grow to 5 or more feet in ideal conditions but generally range from 2-3 feet high.

New England Asters have clusters of small purple daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. They start blooming in late August and continue until a hard frost. The flowers range from 1-2 inches wide depending on growing conditions and individual plant characteristics.  There’s a wide variation in color too.  If you are choosing to dig some plants up (with permission) from the wild take the time to examine the growing shape, bloom size and color and pick the best specimens. It would be best to mark these plants some way and remove them for transplanting the following spring.

New England Asters prefer sunny, moist areas.  Deer don’t bother them and they have few insect or disease problems.  They may be floppy in gardens where they are fertilized and watered and will benefit from staking or growing them among sturdier plants, like goldenrod.

 New England Asters are excellent plants for native plant gardens and even for more conventional gardens to bring late fall color. They also make good cut flowers.