Simcoe County Master Gardeners
Grow Natives!
PLANT PROFILE
COMMON NAME: Smooth Blue Aster
BINOMIAL: Symphyotrichum laeve
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Cdn Native Range | central Ontario, Quebec, prairie provinces |
| Natural habitat | prairies, open woods, meadows, roadsides, rocky slopes, |
| Type | herbaceous perennial |
| Features | showy blue-violet flowers, nectar rich, attracts pollinators, fall bloom |
| Growth habit | upright, clumping, multi-stemmed |
| Mature height | 60–120 cm (24–48 in) |
| Mature spread | 30–60 cm (12–24 in) |
| Life span | 3–10 years |
| Cdn Hardiness Zone | 3–7 |
| Growing conditions | full sun to part shade |
| Soil conditions | well draining, clay, loam, tolerates dry and moderately poor soils |
| Watering needs | low, drought tolerant once established |
| Fertilizer needs | minimal, compost or natural mulch optional |
| Tolerance | drought tolerant, moderate shade, deer resistant, rabbit resistant |
| Maintenance rank | low |
| Maintenance needs | deadheading optional, divide clumps every 3–4 years if overcrowded |
| Bloom | showy, 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) diameter composite blue-violet ray florets with yellow centres, blooms late summer to early fall, lightly fragrant |
| Fruit | dry, small achenes, not edible |
| Pollinator support | nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, larval host for moth species—asteroid moth, wavy-lined emerald moth and arcigera flower moth |
| Environmental support | insects, birds, late season nectar, great in pollinator beds and naturalized areas |
| Garden Use | prairie, wildflower and naturalized gardens, slopes |
| Risks & Cautions | rarely affected by pest and diseases, non-aggressive, non toxic |
References: Ontario Wildflowers, http://ontariowildflowers.com; Native Plant Trust Go Botany, https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org
Photo Credits:
Smooth Blue Aster (credit: Kathleen Hoolahan Chayer, iNaturalist 98797924 via Wikimedia Commons)
Smooth Blue Aster – fall (credit: Nate Martineau, CC BY 4.0)
