What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 39: white wood aster

I had the dogs with me today and every time I tried to go into my beds to get a photo they wanted to follow, so I ended up taking a driveway photo of this white wood aster in my front-most shade bed. I started planting this bed last year but then stopped, as we had a young and rambunctious golden girl who discovered the art of digging. The temptation was too great for her then, so I started my second shady bed (for some reason not interesting to her) and will get back to this one in the fall.

Right now there are only a few things in it. This white wood aster is one of them.

I love the heart-shaped leaves and the white asters will be pretty in this shaded bed, beneath 3 oaks and a dogwood tree.

More info:

urybia divaricata 

Common Name(s):

 

• White Heart-leaved Aster
• White Star Aster
• White Wood Aster
• Wood Aster

Previously known as:

 

• Aster corymbosus
• Aster divaricatus
• Eurybia divaricata
• Symphyotrichum divaricatum

Phonetic Spelling

yoor-RIB-ee-uh dy-vair-ih-KAY-tus

Description

Eurybia divaricata, or White Wood Aster, is a herbaceous perennial native to the Eastern United States that typically grows wild in dry open woods primarily in Appalachian mountain areas. It prefers partial shade with 3-4 hrs of sun daily in average medium to dry well-drained soils. It is shade, deer and drought tolerant. The showy white flowers appear in clusters in late summer to fall and are a favorite of bees and butterflies. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. White Wood Asters can grow to a height of 3 feet and spreads vigorously by rhizomes. Shearing the plant to 6 inches in early summer produces a more compact plant.

Use this plant in open shade gardens, woodland areas, native plant or cottage gardens. It is a tough native plant that blooms in the shade and that can be hard to find!. You can propagate this plant by division in the spring. It will reach its full growth in 2 to 5 years.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:

This plant has some susceptibility to powdery mildew so give it good air circulation. Aster wilt can also be an occasional problem, particularly if plants are grown in poorly-drained clay soils.