Heart-leaved Aster

Perennial  •  $6, 4-inch pot

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Height	2 to 3 ft
Spacing	1 to 2 ft
Sun Exposure	Part Sun to Shade
Soil Moisture	Medium to Medium-Dry
Bloom Color	Pale Blue/Purple
Bloom Time	Sept, Oct, Nov
Companion Plantings	Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Zigzag Goldenrod
Special Attributes

Symphyotrichum cordifolium

Pretty pale purple-blue flowers top this plant in fall, which would pair well with Blue-stemmed Goldenrod in a shady, semi-dry garden bed, providing a splash of color when many summer-bloomers have already declined. Heart-leaved Aster prefers light shade but can tolerate full sun and full shade, making it a versatile garden plant. This plant would not do well in a consistently moist location as the soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Coarsely serrated, heart-shaped (cordate) leaves on the lower-half of this plant give it its common name; it is also called Blue Wood Aster.

Fall-blooming asters, along with goldenrods, provide a vital late-season nectar and pollen source for pollinators, including the migrating Monarch butterfly. Sympyotrichum spp. are also host to around a dozen butterfly and moth caterpillars in the Southern Indiana/Louisville region, including the Silvery Checkerspot and Pearl Crescent butterflies. Many other insects use this plant as well, including beetles, leaf hoppers, leaf-mining flies, stink bugs, aphids, and lace bugs, among others. Heart-leaved Aster readily hybridizes with other woodland asters, making identification sometimes difficult.

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