Overview

Introduce a burst of late-season color and vital support for local ecosystems with the New England Aster live plant. This vibrant perennial, scientifically known as Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a true garden gem, celebrated for its robust growth and prolific blooms. The Kickin Series specifically features cultivars known for their compact, bushy habit and a stunning array of semi-double flowers, making them an excellent choice for various garden settings. As a beloved native wildflower plant, it plays a crucial role in supporting local biodiversity by attracting a wide range of pollinators, including bees and butterflies, when many other flowers have faded. This makes it an indispensable addition to any pollinator, native, or cottage garden, providing essential nectar sources from late summer through fall.

Our New England Aster live plant is shipped as a healthy, young specimen, ready to establish quickly in your garden. These plants are known for their resilience and adaptability, thriving in a variety of conditions once established. With proper care, you can look forward to a spectacular display of purple, pink, red, lavender, or lilac-blue flowers, each adorned with a charming gold button eye. This particular perennial aster series is ideal for gardeners seeking both aesthetic appeal and ecological benefit, offering a beautiful and functional solution for garden borders, mass plantings, or even container gardening.

Key Benefits

The New England Aster live plant offers numerous advantages for both your garden and the environment, making it a highly desirable choice for discerning gardeners:

• Vibrant Fall Color: Provides a spectacular display of color in late summer and fall, extending the blooming season when many other plants have finished. The rich hues, including purple, pink, and lilac-blue, offer a striking contrast in any garden design.
• Attracts Pollinators: As an exceptional pollinator plant, it is a magnet for butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects, providing a crucial late-season nectar source. This supports local ecosystems and enhances garden health.
• Low-Maintenance Perennial: Once established, this perennial aster is remarkably easy to care for, requiring minimal intervention. It’s a reliable choice for gardeners who desire beauty without excessive effort.
• Deer and Rabbit Resistant: Gardeners will appreciate that deer and rabbits tend to avoid this plant, allowing its beauty to flourish undisturbed in your landscape.
• Versatile Garden Use: Its compact and bushy growth habit makes it suitable for various applications, including borders, mass plantings, large rock gardens, edging, and even containers. It integrates seamlessly into cottage gardens and naturalized meadows.
• Supports Native Habitats: As a true native wildflower plant, incorporating it into your garden helps restore and support local native plant communities and the wildlife that depend on them.
• Excellent Cut Flowers: The abundant semi-double flowers are not only beautiful in the garden but also make charming and long-lasting additions to fresh floral arrangements.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your New England Aster live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful display of flowers with minimal effort. These robust perennials thrive in average, medium, well-drained soil and prefer a location with full sun exposure. Full sun means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, which is essential for maximizing flower production and maintaining a compact growth habit. While adaptable, they perform best in moist, rich soils, so amending your planting area with compost can be beneficial.

Watering should be consistent, especially during dry spells, to keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Good air circulation around the plants is important to help reduce the risk of foliar diseases. If your plants become too tall or leggy, you can pinch back the stems several times before mid-July. This practice encourages bushiness, helps control plant height, and may eliminate the need for staking. Be aware that pinching back will slightly delay flowering, but the trade-off is a more robust and floriferous plant. The Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is generally hardy and tolerant of various conditions, making it a resilient choice for many climates. Fertilize sparingly, if at all, as rich soil and adequate moisture are usually sufficient. Watch for common garden pests, but these plants are generally quite pest-resistant.

Size & Details

Each New England Aster live plant is carefully cultivated and shipped as a healthy seedling in a small plug-size container, typically measuring 1 inch by 1 inch by 1 1/4 inches. While plant sizes may vary slightly from one plug to another, each is naturally grown and possesses a strong, healthy root system, which is the most critical feature for successful establishment. These plants from the Kickin Series are known for their compact growth, typically reaching a mature height of 18-24 inches, depending on the specific variety and growing conditions. They develop a bushy habit, making them excellent for garden borders and containers. Expect these perennial aster plants to establish quickly and begin blooming in their first or second season, providing vibrant color from late summer into fall.

The mature size and bloom time can be influenced by factors such as sunlight, soil quality, and watering. These plants are ideal for adding vertical interest to your garden without becoming overly dominant. They are excellent for mass planting to create a stunning visual impact or for naturalizing in meadows. The diverse color palette within the series, including purple, pink, carmine red, lavender, silver pink, mauve, and lilac blue, allows for creative planting schemes to complement your existing landscape. This pollinator plant is a valuable addition for both its beauty and ecological benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this New England Aster live plant get? A: These plants typically grow to a mature height of 18-24 inches, depending on the specific variety and growing conditions. They form a compact, bushy habit, making them suitable for various garden uses.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Each seedling is shipped in a small plug-size container, which is approximately 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 1/4 inches. The focus is on providing a healthy root system for optimal transplanting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The New England Aster live plant is an outdoor perennial wildflower. It thrives in garden beds, borders, and containers outdoors, offering beautiful blooms from late summer into fall.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This perennial aster requires full sun exposure, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, for the best growth and most abundant flowering.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the native wildflower plant is relatively easy to care for. It requires average, well-drained soil and consistent moisture, but is quite resilient.
• Q: What condition will the plant arrive in? A: We ship healthy, young plug-size seedlings with strong root systems. While some foliage yellowing or minor damage can occur during transit, the plant is resilient and will recover with proper care.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this pollinator plant? A: Spring or early fall are generally the best times to plant New England Asters, allowing them to establish before extreme temperatures. However, healthy plug plants can be planted throughout the growing season with adequate watering.
• Q: Will it attract butterflies and bees? A: Absolutely! This Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is an excellent pollinator plant, specifically known for attracting a wide variety of butterflies and bees, especially in the late season when other nectar sources are scarce.
• Q: Is the New England Aster deer resistant? A: Yes, New England Asters are generally considered deer and rabbit resistant, making them a good choice for gardens where these animals are a concern.
• Q: Can I grow this aster in a container? A: Yes, due to its compact ‘Kickin Series’ growth habit, this perennial aster is well-suited for container gardening, provided the container is large enough and has good drainage.