Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England Aster)

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is a perennial favorite, with some of the most beautiful flowers of any aster. Also called New England Aster, this species can bloom for 6 weeks or more any time between late July and early October. Since we grow ours from seed, there is some naturally occurring variation in flower color, ranging from a light pink to a deep violet, but is most often in between. This is also one of the tallest aster species, reaching 5’-6’ in height, but has fibrous roots and will only spread up to 3’. For large spaces this can add great background color, but Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is very tolerant of early season pruning to keep plants from getting too tall or flopping. It grows best in full to part sun in average soils, but can also be used for rain gardens, or mountain slopes. In our region it is most commonly found in the Appalachian Mountains and then more abundant in the Northeastern US, hence the common name. The fibrous roots also get very deep, so they work well for drought tolerance and holding soil, but can also be grown in large containers if watered well.

Asters have been known as keystone plants of many habitats in our region, and while this group of wildflowers has changed and diverged over time, flowers of the Symphyotrichum genus are some of the best for wildlife, especially in the fall season. Symphyotrichum species often bloom later in the season, peaking in September and October at a time when pollinators may have trouble finding other sources of food. This makes the abundant, easy to access flowers ideal for many kinds of insects. In addition, a wide range of different species of butterflies and moths use asters as host plants for their caterpillars. This selective dependence can be great when Symphyotrichum and related genera are in abundance, but challenging when they are replaced by non-native weeds, lawns, and other human impacts. Offering asters as a garden plant can also offer food sources to other wildlife, including a wide variety of birds. Overall, choosing at least one aster species can make a small but important impact.

Pollinators: bumblebees, cellophane bees, fairy bees, leafcutter bees, long-horned bees, mason bees miner bees, pebble bees, small carpenter bees, sweat bees, yellow-faced bees, butterflies, moths, bee flies, flower flies, soldier beetles, beetle wasps, carrot wasps, chalcid wasps, grass-carrying wasps, mason wasps, potter wasps, sand wasps, scoliid wasps, spider wasps, square-headed wasps, thread-waisted wasps, thynnid flower wasps

Host Plant for Butterflies/Moths: 39+ Lepidoptera species, many of which feed only on a few genera other than Symphyotrichum, including the Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) and Aster Flowerhead Caterpillar (Eucosma parmatana)

Dependent Species: 31 oligolectic bee species in our region of which Melissodes pilleatus is only found in NC, 2 bee species only feed on Symphyotrichum - Andrena asteroides (AL, GA, MD, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA) and Anthophorula asteris (GA); Lepidoptera which only feed on Symphyotrichum - Incognito Crescent Butterfly (Phyciodes incognitus), Tawny Crescent Butterfly (Phyciodes batesii), Aster-head Phaneta (Eucosma tomonana), Hoffman’s Cochylid (Cochylichroa hoffmanana), Landryia impositella, Coleophora eriocoides, Bucculatrix cuneigera

Wildlife Value: Bobwhites, Songbirds, Thrushes, Turkeys, Wood Warblers, numerous insect herbivores including the walking stick Manomera blatchleyi, shelter

Deer Resistance: Moderate

Native Region: Appalachian Mountains

Seed Origin: US nursery collected seed

Light Recommendation: Full Sun, Part-sun

Soil Moisture Recommendation: Moist, Medium, Medium-dry

USDA Zones: 4-8

States found in our region: AL, DE, GA, KY, MD, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

Other states found: AR, CO, CT, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, RI, SD, VT, WI, WY