There are more to the Aster family than the cute and colorful daisy like flowers that pepper the countryside. There are more selections below that are all from the Aster family and plants that you may not have thought of as choices for your garden or landscape. I’ve given a brief overview of each plant and some planting help on where in your landscape it should be planted.
Liatris spicata (L.) Willd. (Dense Blazing Star)
Another good pick for a bird or butterfly garden, this will grow up to 4 feet tall. It has violet to white flowers from mid summer to fall and will self sow freely. It prefers full sun or partial shade and is very low maintenance. Its flowers look like a feather duster. It is a deer resistant plant.
Mikania scandens (L.) Willd. (Climbing Hempvine)
This vine grows up to 15 feet long. It has smoky pale pink or white flowers in late summer to mid fall. It prefers full sun. It has herbaceous foliage and can be invasive if not watched. Divide the root ball to propagate.
Packera aurea (L.) A.& D. Löve (golden ragwort)
This flower gets up to 18-24 inches high and prefers full sun to partial shade. It is a low growing ground cover and has yellow daisy like flowers in the spring. It is a quick spreader and has shallow roots so it’s easy to transplant. To propagate it you can direct sow seed outside. It may be a noxious weed or invasive in some areas. BEWARE: All parts poisonous if ingested.
This flower gets up to 3-4 feet tall and needs a spacing of 2-3 feet. It likes sun to partial shade. Its gold or yellow flowers come in late summer and it is a self-sow plant. You need to deadhead if you don’t want it to reseed. There is good bloom coverage and you can pair it with a nice ornamental grass. To propagate you can either divide the rootball or just let it self-sow.
Silphium perfoliatum L. (Cup Plant)
This member of the Aster family will get up to 3-8 feet high. It has yellow rays from June to September and prefers full sun or partial shade. To propagate you can divide or grow from seed. Butterflies love this plant.
Solidago rugosa P. Mill. (Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod)
This flower gets up to 2-3 feet high and needs 18-24 inch spacing. It prefers full sun to partial shade and needs acidic to mildly alkaline soil. Its gold flowers arrive in late summer to early fall. It has graceful arching spikes of flowers and late season color. This is a great choice for some unique texture and movement in your garden. You can divide the rootball or do herbaceous stem cuttings to propagate.
Stokesia laevis (Hill) Greene (Stokes’ Aster)
This gets up to 1-2 feet tall and the leaves get 6-8 inches. They have long lasting shaggy flower heads in the blue/lavender/pink/white color scheme. It prefers full sun and well drained light soil. Pinch off the dead flower heads for more flowering. This is the only species in the Stokesia flower genus.
Symphyotrichum dumosum (L.) Nesom var. dumosum (Rice button Aster)
This flower gets up to 1-3 feet high and has bushy branched flowers. The flowers are small and usually are blue, white, or lavender. There are small bract-like leaves to a rice button aster. An interesting choice for raised or container gardens.
Vernonia gigantea (Walt.) Trel. (Giant Ironweed)
This perennial gets from 6-8 feet tall and is similar to a blazing star. The flowers are in the pink/blue/red/purple range and they come July through September. It has deer resistant fuzzy foliage and it will self sow. It prefers sun or partial shade. BEWARE: this is a skin irritant.
