Thumbnail Filmstrip of Symphyotrichum laeve - Smooth Aster Images
Smooth Aster is one of the most attractive and long-lived of all the asters. Blooming from late August through to the end of October,
the leaves of Smooth Blue Aster are smooth to the touch and it puts on a fabulous floral display with a profusion of lavender-blue, star-like flowers
long after most flowers are finished. Naturally occurring in open woods, disturbed habitats, meadows and fields it is a
favourite stopping spot for butterflies and it is the larval host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly. Symphyotrichum laeve does well in just about any
well-drained soil.
Colour: Blooms: Light: Height: Soil: Water:
Lavender/Blue
Late Summer
Sun to Pt Shade
2' - 3'
Sand to Clay
Dry to Medium
Approx. 66 seeds per pack - 1,203 seeds per gram
Attracts Butterflies, Honeybees & Songbirds!
Deer Resistant!
Makes Great Cut Flowers!
Juglone Tolerant!
All Wildflower Farm seeds are hardy through growing zone 3, organic and non-GMO.
SEED GERMINATION INFO
Indoors:
Cold, moist stratification. Start at least 5 weeks before outdoor night temperatures are reliably in the 10 C (50 F) range. Mix the seed with a slightly moistened,
sterile, soil-less growing mix. Put this in a labelled, sealed plastic bag and store in a refrigerator for one day. The next day place this in the freezer for one day.
Repeat this for one week, alternating between the fridge and the freezer. After stratifying, plant seed 0.32 cm (1/8 inch) deep in pots. Keep moist but not soggy and
very warm (21 C - 70 F). When seedlings are 5 cm (2 inches) tall or more, transplant into the garden spaced 30 cm (1 foot) apart.
Outdoors:
Plant seed 0.32 cm (1/8 inch) deep in a prepared seed bed in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.
Outdoors Alternative:
In late fall through to mid-winter fill plastic pots with a slightly moistened, sterile, soil-less growing mix. Plant seed 0.32 cm (1/8 inch) deep in pots and label
the pots. Place them outdoors in an area where they will experience the snow and cold of winter. The seed will germinate in the pots in spring as the weather warms up.
Be sure to water the pots regularly in spring and once the plants are 5 cm (2 inches) tall, transplant them into your garden.
