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Pacific Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense)

from $8.99

Botanical name: Symphyotrichum chilense • Bloom season: Late summer to fall • Bloom color: Lavender with yellow centers • Host plant (Great Basin): northern crescent, field crescent

Loose sprays of pale lavender daisies with small yellow centers, opening in late summer and carrying through fall. Asters are the closing act of the pollinator year, and this one pairs that late nectar with host value: field crescents have been recorded laying eggs on it in Nevada, so it works at both ends of the life cycle rather than just providing a meal. Asters also support thirty-four specialist bee species across the western US.

Botanical name: Symphyotrichum chilense • Bloom season: Late summer to fall • Bloom color: Lavender with yellow centers • Host plant (Great Basin): northern crescent, field crescent

Loose sprays of pale lavender daisies with small yellow centers, opening in late summer and carrying through fall. Asters are the closing act of the pollinator year, and this one pairs that late nectar with host value: field crescents have been recorded laying eggs on it in Nevada, so it works at both ends of the life cycle rather than just providing a meal. Asters also support thirty-four specialist bee species across the western US.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Symphyotrichum chilense

Common Name: Pacific Aster

Native: Native

Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Late summer to fall

Bloom Color: Lavender with yellow centers

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W Spreading x H 1'-3'

Soil: Well-drained

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 6 to 10

Spread Habit: Spreads by rhizome

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: California Floristic Province; Pacific Northwest

Host Plant (Great Basin): northern crescent, field crescent

Host Plant (Elsewhere in North America): field crescent

Growing Notes

Full sun to part sun in adaptable, well-drained soil with moderate water. Space about 18 inches apart. It spreads by rhizomes into a loose colony, which is welcome in an informal planting and worth thinking about in a tight border. Note the hardiness range is on the tender side for Northern Nevada, so give it a sheltered spot.

  • Water: Moderate

  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; adaptable

  • Mature size: 1 to 3 ft by spreading

Maintenance

Cut it back by half in early summer for a shorter, denser plant with more flowers, which is worth doing since it can sprawl. Leave the stems standing over winter and cut back in late spring, keeping about a third. Divide every three years, replanting the vigorous outer growth. Edge the patch annually if you need to hold it in place.