Stokes' aster

Sun

Full sun gives the best flowering; light afternoon shade is useful in very hot climates.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Once established, water during prolonged dry spells; avoid keeping the crown wet.

Soil

Well-drained, moderately fertile soil, preferably acidic to neutral. It tolerates sandy soil but performs poorly in waterlogged ground, especially in winter.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; usually lavender-blue to violet-blue, with white, pink and pale yellow available in named cultivars.

Foliage

Narrow, dark green leaves form a basal clump, with smaller leaves up the flowering stems. Evergreen to semi-evergreen in mild winters; foliage may die back in colder areas.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.1 ft (0.35 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.3 ft (0.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a position that drains freely.
• Water deeply during the first growing season, allowing the surface soil to dry between waterings.
• Apply a light compost dressing in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Keep mulch clear of the crown, particularly in wet climates.
• Divide crowded clumps in spring every three to four years if flowering declines.

Pruning. Remove spent flower heads down to a leaf or side shoot to encourage further flowering. In late winter or early spring, cut away dead stems and damaged leaves without removing healthy basal foliage.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged foliage and apply a light compost dressing.

Spring

Plant new specimens or divide established clumps once the soil is workable.

Summer

Water new plants during dry weather and deadhead faded flowers.

Early autumn

Leave a few flower heads if you want to collect seed; seedlings may differ from named cultivars.

Late autumn

Clear fallen debris from the crown and check that water does not collect around the plant.

• Plant groups along the front of a sunny mixed border for broad patches of blue summer flowers.
• Combine with purple coneflowers, coreopsis and fine-textured grasses in a pollinator planting.
• Use beside paths or seating areas where the fringed flowers can be seen closely.
• Grow in a container with drainage holes for summer colour on a sunny patio.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Southern, Pollinator garden, Wildlife garden, Blues and silvers and New perennial (prairie).

Plant it with: Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Threadleaf coreopsis, Meadow sage, Butterfly weed and Little bluestem.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies.

• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised bed; discard badly rotted plants.
• Slugs and snails on young growth: remove hiding places, hand-pick after dark or use an approved iron-phosphate bait.
• Sparse flowering or floppy stems in shade: move to a sunnier position and avoid excessive fertiliser.
• Winter losses in cold, wet conditions: keep the crown free of wet mulch and choose a sheltered, freely draining site.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No particular poisonous part is established, but species-specific toxicity information is limited; do not treat it as an edible plant.

• Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

  Cornflower is an annual with smaller flower heads, slender branching stems and grey-green foliage; Stokes' aster forms a persistent basal clump with larger flowers.

• China aster (Callistephus chinensis)

  China aster is an annual with broader, toothed leaves and often densely double flowers; Stokes' aster has narrow basal leaves and conspicuously fringed flower heads.

Stokesia honours the English physician and botanist Jonathan Stokes, while laevis means smooth, referring to the plant's largely hairless surfaces.

Propagation. Divide clumps in spring. Sow seed in spring, noting that seedlings from named cultivars may not resemble the parent; division preserves the cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Stokesia laevis

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.