Description

Key Information:

Soil: Hydric (Wet) – Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Full Sun – Part Sun
Height: 2-5 feet
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: August – October

More Details:

Suggested Uses: New England Aster is an excellent plant for shoreline and moist meadow restoration as well as large rain gardens. It blooms in the fall with big, beautiful purple flowers. It is a very late bloomer and therefore an excellent source of nectar for bees and butterflies late in the season. A great plant for heavy clay soils.  Can be found near calcareous fens.

Native Range: Most abundant in the Midwest and Northeast but its range includes scattered areas throughout the rest of the U.S. Native to Minnesota.

Pollinators: Bees, butterflies and moths. They are a host plant for pearl crescent butterfly caterpillars and provide nectar in late fall to many species of butterflies. Favored by the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis) and migrating adult monarch butterflies.

Flowers: The 1-2″ flower heads have 35-45 petal-like ray flowers surrounding yellow disk flowers. The flower stalk is hairy and sticky. The petals can be many different shades of pink, blue, lavender, or white.

Leaves: The 1 1/2″-5″ hairy, clasping leaves are lance shaped to elliptical.

More information: USDA plant profile