Native Plants: Asters

Recently, the National Wildlife Federation's Sacred Grounds program supported a native plant giveaway at my church by providing hundreds of free plants that we distributed to whomever wanted to pledge to plant native plants at home. We offered plants that prefer to grow in the sun or in the shade, and each type of plant had various other qualities, including an ability to support large caterpillar populations. During the process of organizing this activity, I realized how little knowledge I have regarding the specific qualities (other than with regard to caterpillars) of each of the native plants we were distributing. For my own benefit, and hopefully for yours as well, I would like to focus on one of the most popular types of native plant: the "aster."

The name "aster" comes from the Greek word for star, the shape of which causes many people to mistake many plants of this type for a daisy even though the aster is a member of the sunflower family. Before we move on, please view the video below, which provides a quick introduction to the aster and shares some of the more common types of asters that exist.

As was stated in the video, some of the major qualities of asters are the following:

• Bloom in October

• Drought-resistant

• Prefer full sun

• Prefer well-drained soil

• Require no maintenance once established

• Tall varieties may require staking

• Great for butterflies and caterpillars

Asters can be found throughout the contiguous United States and much of Canada. There are nearly 180 varieties, not including an even greater number of hybrids and cultivars. Most asters fall within two major categories: New York asters and New England asters. New York asters typically grow to be between 2 feet tall, while New England asters are significantly taller growing to a full height of between 3 to 4 feet. Some cultivars can even reach maximum heights of 6 feet, though staking may be required to keep them straight. Examples of New York asters include the Ada Ballard, Chatterbox, Royal Ruby, Eventide, Winston Churchill, Patricia Ballard, Crimson Brocade, Bonningale White, and White Lady. Common types of New England asters include Barr's Pink, Purple Dome, Rosa Sieger, September Ruby, and the KICKIN Lilac Blue, Pink Chiffon, and Carmine Red varieties.

An interesting and often unknown fact about asters is that what appears to be the single 'flower' of the plant is actually made up of 100 - 150 individual flowers of two different types situated on a flower head or disk. Each petal of an aster is a separate flower referred to as a 'ray' flower, while the center structure of an aster is made up of several 'tube' flowers.

---

Helpful Hints

There are a lot of great resources available for purchasing native plants such as asters. Some great options include the following:

• Local nurseries (best option)

• Maryland Native Plant Society (or search for your particular state)

• Prairie Moon in Minnesota: They have a good listing of books for the home native plant gardener: https://www.prairiemoon.com/books; and kits of plants for a garden: https://www.prairiemoon.com/garden-kits.

• Prairie Nursery