Yes! There are asters for the shade! No matter what sunlight you have in your landscape you can provide important late season nectar to pollinators with asters. Read on for more information.
Eurybia macrophylla (syn. Aster macrophyllus) – Bigleaf Aster, Large-leaved Aster, Bigleaf Wood Aster
The bigleaf aster is a groundcover best grown in average to moist, well-drained, loamy soils in part to full shade. Its large leaves, up to 8 inches wide, can help suppress weeds, especially in woodlands.
It will spread by rhizomes and may also spread by seed. It will form large colonies under optimal conditions. Foliage tends to grow about 12-16 inches tall; flowers may grow over 24 inches tall. The flowers appear in late summer to early autumn, and are arranged over the foliage in flat clusters, in light tones of violet, blue, or (rarely) white. Blooming tends to be sparse, but nonetheless beautiful!
Natural Habitat and Ecological Interactions
In nature, the bigleaf aster occurs mostly in oak-hickory and beech-maple woodlands, sandy woodlands, swamp hummocks, clearings, thickets, and oak savannahs. It provides habitat for ground-nesting songbirds, gamebirds, reptiles, amphibians, and many invertebrates.
The flowers provide nectar and pollen to butterflies, long-tongued and short-tongued bees, miner bees, bumblebees, wasps, flies, beetles, and plant bugs, among others.
Several butterfly and moth species utilize the bigleaf aster as a larval host, including the pearl crescent butterfly and the goldenrod hooded owlet moth. Gamebirds such as ruffed grouse and wild turkey, and songbirds value the seed.
Eurybia divaricata (syn. Aster divaricatus) – White Wood Aster, White Star Aster, White Heart-leaved Aster
An excellent choice for a shade-loving groundcover, the white wood aster spreads by rhizomes to form large patches or colonies over time. This species prefers average to dry, well-drained soils in part sun to full shade; best to avoid exposure to hot afternoon sun. As it spreads, it will form a dense groundcover that tends to be semi-evergreen. In mild-winters, its foliage remains, turning a dark, reddish color.
Compared to many other woodland groundcovers, the white wood aster is extremely tolerant of drought and thrives in consistently dry conditions and poor soils. Plants stay fairly low, generally under 2 feet tall, though could grow taller in nutrient and moisture rich soils. Dainty white flowers with yellow centers appear on upright stems in late summer through mid-autumn. We consider the white wood aster to be very easy to grow in most situations, a great beginner plant!
Native Habitat
This species grows in dry woodlands, clearings, edges, bluffs, and roadsides throughout much of Appalachia and surrounding lowlands. It also grows in dry, open areas within beech-maple woodlands, Northern hardwood forests, and oak-hickory woodlands.
You can easily spot this plant on roadside banks when driving through wooded areas in early autumn. The flowers provide nectar and pollen to several pollinators including butterflies, long-tongued and short-tongued bees, miner bees, bumblebees, wasps, flies, beetles, and plant bugs, among others. Several butterfly and moth species utilize the white wood aster as a larval host, including the silvery checkerspot and pearl crescent butterflies. Who eats the seed? Gamebirds such as grouse, some songbirds, and small mammals such as white-footed mice.
Symphyotrichum cordifolium (syn. Aster cordifolius) – Blue Wood Aster, Heartleaf Aster, Broad-leaved Aster
The blue wood aster is a charming species of aster, known for its light blue-violet flowers and its tendency to spread by seed dependably. It is best grown in partial or dappled shade but will also grow in full sun. Avoiding the hottest afternoon sun is ideal. Though it tolerates full shade, it likely will not be as productive. It prefers fertile, well-drained soils that are generally moist but never too soggy. Poor drainage or heavy clay will likely inhibit its success.
Blue wood asters tend to grow between 1 and 3 feet tall but could be taller, up to 5 feet, but only in very fertile, consistently moist locations. Gardeners can pinch them back a few times before mid-summer to encourage shorter statured, bushier plants but is not necessary. Numerous flowers arranged in panicles range from pale azure to rich blue with yellow centers appear in late summer and persist through much of autumn.
Natural Habitat and Ecological Interactions
In nature, the blue wood aster occurs in a variety of habitats including deciduous woodlands, forest edges, along wooded paths and roadsides, wooded bluffs and streambanks, and wooded slopes. It often grows alongsidev blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia) and silverrod (Solidago bicolor).
The flowers provide nectar and pollen to several pollinators including butterflies, long-tongued and short-tongued bees, bumblebees, wasps, flies, beetles, and plant bugs, among others. Several butterfly and moth species utilize the white wood aster as a larval host, including the silvery checkerspot and pearl crescent butterflies. The seeds are consumed by gamebirds such as grouse, some songbirds, and small mammals such as white-footed mice. Mammalian herbivores such as white-tailed deer, rabbits, and groundhogs occasionally browse the foliage.
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (syn. Aster lateriflorus) –Calico Aster, Starved Aster, White Woodland Aster
The calico aster is a very adaptable garden plant. The best place to plant it is dappled shade or partial sun, though it tolerates full sun to full shade. Plants grown in full sun will be most successful with consistent moisture. The plant will set more flowers with more sunlight, so those growing the shade will be less floriferous. It will grow in many soil types including poor soil and heavy clay but prefers fertile soils rich in organic matter or a consistently moist clay-loam. This species is often between 1 and 2 feet tall, but it may grow up to 3 feet tall under optimal conditions.
Try pinching them back a few times before mid-summer to encourage shorter bushier plants but is not necessary. The numerous flowers tend to be white with pale yellow to reddish-brown centers. You will see them in late summer and they will persist through much of autumn.
Natural Habitat and Ecological Interactions
You may find Calico Aster growing naturally in moist meadows and pastures, floodplain woodlands, forest edges, wetlands including swamps, roadside ditches, and waste areas. It often seeds into areas that have been disturbed by human activity and strays into nearby areas with more sun exposure.
The flowers of this aster are very attractive to honeybees, bumblebees, little carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, Halictid bees, plasterer bees, masked bees, andrenine bees, dagger bees, Vespid wasps, spider wasps, Syrphid flies, butterflies, moths, beetles, among others. Several butterfly and moth species utilize this aster as a larval host, including the silvery checkerspot and pearl crescent butterflies. Gamebirds such as grouse, some songbirds, and small mammals such as white-footed mice will eat the seed. White-tailed deer, rabbits, and groundhogs occasionally browse the foliage. Ruffed grouse have also been observed feeding on the foliage of this aster!
