(Michaelmas Daisy, New York Aster, White Swan New York Aster)

New York aster ‘White Swan’ adds elegance to the garden with numerous, shimmering white daisies touched with tints of palest lilac-pink. The pastel-hued flowers are complemented by bright green, lance-shaped foliage, and are highly attractive to butterflies and other small, pollinating insects. The seeds that follow provide a source of food for seed-eating birds such as goldfinches.

Although quite adaptable, this perennial performs best in full sun and moderately fertile, well-drained, evenly...

(New York Aster, Winston Churchill New York Aster)

New York aster ‘Winston Churchill’ adds brilliancy to the garden with numerous double daisies of rich raspberry pink from late summer into autumn. The vibrant, yellow-centered daisies are complemented by bright green, lance-shaped foliage, and are highly attractive to butterflies and other small, pollinating insects. The seeds that follow provide a source of food for seed-eating birds such as goldfinches.

Although quite adaptable, this perennial performs best in full sun and moderately fertile,...

(New York Aster)

Asters in the Island Series bear masses of pink, lavender, or violet daisy-flowers in late summer and fall on dense, compact, mildew-resistant plants. The yellow-eyed, semi-double blossoms are complemented by green, lance-shaped foliage. The series included four cultivars as of fall 2011: 'Barbados', 'Bermuda', 'Samoa', and 'Tonga'. All cultivated New York asters are selections or hybrids of Aster novi-belgii, a vigorous, bushy, clump-forming perennial from moist fields and thickets...

(Aromatic Aster)

This North American native is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Clouds of violet or purple daisies with fine petals and yellow centers appear in late summer and fall on stout, many-branched stems. A single plant can have a dozen or more flower stems. The blooms are irresistible to butterflies as well as other beneficial insects that flock to this late-season nectar source. The foliage is remarkably fragrant when crushed, hence its common name.

Full sun...

(Aromatic Aster)

Noted for its compact, spreading habit, 'October Skies' is a wonderfully landscape-friendly aromatic aster that's as tough as it is pretty. Its many lavender-blue daisies have dusty yellow centers and fine petals. Their cool color contrasts beautifully with yellow-flowered fall composites. Flowering typically begins in mid-fall and continues for up to three or four weeks.

This North American native is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Clouds of violet...

(Aromatic Aster)

This North American native is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Clouds of violet or purple daisies with fine petals and yellow centers appear in late summer and fall on stout, many-branched stems. A single plant can have a dozen or more flower stems. The blooms are irresistible to butterflies as well as other beneficial insects that flock to this late-season nectar source. The foliage is remarkably fragrant when crushed, hence its common name.

Full sun...

(Aromatic Aster)

Clouds of lavender-blue flowers cover this bushy, relatively compact aromatic aster from early to mid-autumn. This favorite cultivar was bred at Holbrook Farm Nursery, in Fletcher, North Carolina; an establishment that has since closed.

This North American native aster is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Lots of cool daisies with fine petals and yellow centers appear in late summer and fall on stout, many-branched stems. A single plant can have a dozen...

(Late Purple Aster)

Late season asters like Aster patens brighten the fall landscape with their colorful blooms. The tall, arching stems of this hardy perennial become lined with pale lavender-purple daisies with yellow centers. Wild populations exist in open woodlands and thickets throughout the whole of the eastern United States. Though rarely cultivated, this is a pretty native aster for wildflower and butterfly gardens.

The fine stems of late purple aster are lined with slender, lance-shaped, alternate...

(Frost Aster, White Oldfield Aster)

Clouds of tiny white daisies cover the dense branches of this North American wildflower in late fall. It often blooms when the first frosts of late fall arrive, which explains the pretty common name, frost aster. Native populations exist across the eastern half of North America and favor open woods, fields, roadsides and prairies.

Frost aster is tall, bushy and has fine, stiff, slightly hairy leaves that are light to medium green. Its arching stems are also hairy and become lined with lots...

(Willowleaf Aster)

In mid to late fall, willowleaf aster produces tall, billowy branches covered with small blueish white daisies. Natural populations of this hardy herbaceous perennial exist throughout much of central and eastern North America and favor moist meadows, roadside ditches, stream edges and other lowlands.

Dense linear or lance-shaped green leaves cover the upright, branched stems. Fine, whitish veins mark the undersides of the leaves. Late in the season, the branches produce pyramidal clusters...