No garden can be complete without the late-season splash of color provided by asters, and Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is one of the showiest ones of the lot. Towering at up to 6', it is also among the tallest native asters. With flowers correspondently large (up to 2" across) and a blooming period of up to 2 months, this species will leave a long-lasting impression. The bloom color can be highly variable with hues ranging from blue to purple and pink. Plant height can also be variable depending on the characteristics of the plant's location. The leaves are opposite and can easily be distinguished from other species within the genus for being conspicuously pubescent. Each plant consists of a central stem that typically becomes branched towards the top.
The genus, Symphyotrichum, is derived from the Greek symph meaning coming together or grouped (think symphony), and the Greek thrix meaning hair and a possible reference to the thin flower rays or its anthers. The specific epithet is simply the Latinized translation of New England.
The bigger question is why Symphyotrichum and no longer Aster?
“In 1994, a study of asters world-wide indicated that the native Eurasian species stand apart from the North American ones. The name Aster is most appropriately associated with the Eurasian species, leaving the approximately 180 North American species to find names within other genera. By far the largest number of the North American species transferred from Aster to other genera are now in Symphyotrichum (about 90 species). Other North American genera where the ‘old’ asters are now located are Almutaster, Ampelaster, Aster [only 2 North American species remain in this genus], Canadanthus, Chloracantha, Doellingeria, Eucephalus, Eurybia, Oclemena, Oreostemma, and Sericocarpus.
Some of these Latinized scientific names were ‘invented’ and published long ago and, by the rules of nomenclature, must be used. The ‘principle of priority’ establishes that the first name published in a specified manner is the correct one. Symphyotrichum, which displaces the more euphonious Aster in the majority of the species, seems especially peculiar and tongue-twisting, and although it has almost never been used until very recently, it was first proposed in 1832 and can’t be denied its rightful place.” -- Guy Nesom (UNC Botany Ph.D. 1980)
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Recorded County Distribution: USDA data.
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, CA, CO, MT, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY |
Arid West | FACW |
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain | FACW |
Eastern Mountains and Piedmont | FACW |
Great Plains | FACW |
Midwest | FACW |
Northcentral and Northeast | FACW |
Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast | FACW |
MAP OF WETLAND DELINEATION REGIONS
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 |
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 novae-angliae | New England aster |
New England American aster
Aster novae-angliae
Lasallea novae-angliae
Virgulus novae-angliae
Sizes 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 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.