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Symphyotrichum cordifolium common blue wood aster
common blue wood aster
Characteristics
Descriptions
Light Requirements
sun, part-sun, part-shade
Soil Moisture
dry, moist
Soil Description
rich, average, loam, clay, sand
Height
2'-4'
Recommended Spacing
18"-24"
Bloom Time
July, August, September, October, November
Bloom Color
purple, lavender, blue
Hardiness Zone
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Description
Symphyotrichum cordifolium is floriferous aster with branching, upright-arching stems (up to 4'). The flowers form disks that usually do not exceed 1/2 inch in diameter. They can be pale-blue to almost white when they open, then darken with age to deeper shades of blue or purple. The centers are yellow to red. Blooms form dense rounded clusters, and are long-lived. It's a late-season bloomer with extended bloom time; as early as July, and lasting until November or first frost. The basal leaves are distinctively heart-shaped and gray-green. It ranges throughout Central and Eastern North America, occuring in a variety of habitats, from open wooded slopes to roadsides and ditches. It spreads itself easily via seed and rhizomes, so is best used where it can be allowed to roam. Referred to as common blue wood aster, the "common" likely reflects its abiiity to thrive and appear in many familiar places.
Cultivation
Symphyotrichum cordifolium is easy to grow in rich to average soil. It has low water requirements, though it can sometimes be found along streams. Good air circulation is important to avoid powdery mildew and other fungal diseases, specifically if planted in a moist environment. Performs beautifully in full sun, and also tolerates open shade. This species is very versatile and can be grown in open shade gardens, cottage gardens, as well as along water features. Pinching back the stems early in the season will encourage a denser appearance and a higher flower production. It self seeds readily to form colonies. Unwanted spread can be controlled by deadheading spent flowers before they go to seed. Plants might require staking if their height is not controlled, particularly when grown in the shade.
Recommended Spacing
Space plants 18"-24" on center.
Common blue wood aster will spread readily via seed and rhizomes. Spacing 24" apart will give plants room to establish and fill in quickly. Editing may be required in managed areas.
Companion Plants
For fall-flowering companions with beautiful color contrast and pollinator power, pair common blue wood aster with Eurybia divaricata (white wood aster), Solidago caesia (bluestem goldenrod), and Solidago flexicaulis (zizag goldenrod). Get spring covered with blooms and pollinators by combining with Tiarella cordifolia (heartleaf foamflower), Packera aurea (golden ragwort), and Polemonium reptans (Jacob's ladder). Groundcover favorite Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop) adds to the textural mix, as do sedges like Carex laxiculmis (spreading sedge) or its cultivar 'Hobb' (Bunny Blue® sedge), Carex socialis (low woodland sedge), and Carex radiata (eastern star sedge).
Additional Notes
Common blue wood aster, like other members of Asteracea, is particularly appealing to wildlife. According to Mt. Cuba Center, "It is a host plant for the Pearly Crescent butterfly, supports several specialist mining bees, and the seeds are enjoyed by songbirds." Symphyotrichum cordifolium was the earliest aster in the Americas to be described, with references dating as far back as the early 1600's.
Pricing & Availability
Would you like your plants shipped later? You may choose to do so in the shopping cart.
Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Did you know? When plants are available from multiple growers, we list growers closest to your location first.
Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!
Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!
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Maps, Wetland Status & More
MAP OF NATIVE RANGE
Recorded County Distribution: USDA data.
Native To
| AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, FL |
Legal Status
Wetland Status
MAP OF WETLAND DELINEATION REGIONS
Interpreting Wetland Status
|
Code |
Status |
Designation |
Comment |
|
OBL |
Obligate Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Almost always occur in wetlands |
|
FACW |
Facultative Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands |
|
FAC |
Facultative |
Hydrophyte |
Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands |
|
FACU |
Facultative Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands |
|
UPL |
Obligate Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Almost never occur in wetlands |
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta | Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons |
| Subclass | Asteridae | |
| Order | Asterales | |
| Family | Asteraceae | Aster family |
| Genus | Symphyotrichum | aster |
| Species | Symphyotrichum cordifolium | common blue wood aster |
ADDITIONAL COMMON NAMES:
broad-leaved aster, broadleaf aster, heartleaf aster, blue wood aster
SCIENTIFIC SYNONYMS:
Aster cordifolius
Aster plumarius
Symphyotrichum sagittifolium
Plant Sizes
Sizes Sizes
Sizes info
Shipping & Planting
SHIPPING INFO:
Shipping is free on all plants orders!
Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.
Shipping plugs:
Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.
When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.
After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.
Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.
PLANTING INFO:
Planting plugs:
We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.
We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.
Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.