 Aster nova-angliae 'Purple Dome' $5.95
- common name: New England aster
- flowering season: the end of summer into fall
- height: 18 inches
- Light requirements: full sun
- Soil requirements: average
- Water requirments: average
- Growth habit: grows as a slowly widening clump
- How to propagate: dividing in spring
- Leaf type: inch-long leaves
- Ways to use it such as in a pot or otherwise: adds a rich color to the fall garden; grows well in a mixed flower garden; plants can also be grown in the ground with the express intention of moving them into large pots towards the end of summer to decorate a terrace or deck or doorway for the fall season -- colder weather and freezing nights don't slow this plant down until winter truly settles in
- Special characteristics: butterflies love the flowers of New England asters -- it may be their last meal before flying south
- Other points of interests: asters grow so thickly and become so crowded that dividing them every few years is a big help to keeping them healthy and floriferous
New England asters light up fall gardens. Although they are called New England asters, they are native to a much wider area from Alabama and Vermont, to Wyoming and New Mexico. This plant is much shorter than the usual aster, at a height of only eighteen inches. It would be a good additon to both the flower garden or for naturalizing in meadows, where it would be a great attraction for butterflies. And it is very tolerant of wet soil. Although perennial and long lived, we recommend frequent division, say every couple of years, keeping only the youngest most vigorous growth, to get the largest amount of flowers. The flowers of 'Purple Dome' are a very rich shade of this color. Combines well with many ornamental grasses, sedum, heuchera (coralbells) and penstemons. Very cold hardy to USDA Zone 3. |
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