My eight aster species

A few weeks ago, I posted eight goldenrod species I'm growing in my yard. I planned to post my aster species later, not realizing at the time that I'm also growing eight asters. I love the unexpected symmetry of that! Like goldenrods, asters are fall bloomers that are keystone species in my area. In addition to being gorgeous, they also feed a bunch of wildlife!

Smooth Blue Aster is my favorite; it's the first aster I planted at my house when we planted our Pocket Prairie in 2019! Calico Aster is new for me this year, and I can't remember if I planted it or if it's a volunteer. Last fall, I planted an Aromatic Aster cultivar called 'October Skies.' One of the plants has become a massive bush-like entity this year, growing much taller than the 18 inches it's supposed to reach. It might be the straight species of Aromatic Aster, which can be 3 feet tall, or it might just really like where I planted it. 

Heath Aster, Heartleaf Aster, and Smooth Blue Aster all reseed a lot in my yard. Heartleaf Aster is the most prolific, as it grows well in most light and moisture conditions. I used to weed a lot of these volunteers when they popped up; I still do this, but not as much as I used to. I like to see where these plants want to grow and tend to remove them only if they're blocking my view of a smaller plant. To prevent some of these asters from flopping over if they're growing too close to the edge of a bed, I prune them in late spring or early summer. This causes the plant to grow bushier and also pushes back when it will flower. Heath Aster is my favorite to prune back because the pruned plants produce more, tinier flowers. Check out the last photo for an example of the size difference! I'm not sure why the plant does this, but I think Heath Aster would make a fun potted mum alternative, and I want to experiment with how much to prune it to achieve a more compact, mum-like form. 

1. White Woodland Aster (Eurybia divaricata)
2. Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
3. Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
4. Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
5. Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
6. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
7. Aromatic Aster 'October Skies' (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
8. Late Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum patens)
9. Heath Aster Flowers. The larger flower on the left was on an unpruned plant. The smaller flower on the right was pruned and had more flowers. 

What's your favorite species of aster?