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'Color Wheel' Stokes' Aster

Perennial

  • Multi-colored flowers open white &  transition to shades of purple!
  • Native perennial loved by butterflies, bees, & other pollinators.
  • Lavender blooms are a welcome sight late summer/early fall.
  • Resistant to deer, rabbits, disease, & drought.
  • Zones 5-9, sun, up to 24” tall x 18″ wide at maturity.
  • ZONE
  • EXPOSURE
  • HEIGHT
Size: One Quart
Regular price $16.99
Sale price Sale: $16.99 Regular price Each
Total: $16.99
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Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee

Description

Are you looking for an array of purple colors on one plant? ‘Color Wheel' Stokes' Aster’s flowers start white and transition to various shades of lavender before aging to dark purple. New white flowers will continuously appear, contrasting beautifully with the aging purple flowers. This perennial will give you a colorful show for months if deadheaded. You won’t be the only one to love these flowers; butterflies find the blooms of this North American native irresistible! Even better, it is deer and rabbit-resistant and can withstand droughts, heat, and humidity. What is not to love about this versatile perennial? Plant it in a border, cottage garden, or mixed perennial bed, and watch the show of lavender blooms!

Aster is a native perennial with a full, bushy habit that is naturally compact, making it perfect for borders or containers. It's generally low maintenance and easy to care for, so it's ideal for beginners. No trimming or shaping is required to keep it looking full and neat! All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the long-lasting blooms.

Details

Botanical name: Stokesia laevis 'Color wheel'
Patent #: 12,718
Common name: Stokes' aster
Zone: 5 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 24” x 18’
Flower color: White, Lavender, Purple
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Summer
Bloom time: Midsummer, late summer, early fall
Features: Space savers, rabbit resistant, dry soils, drought tolerant, deer resistant, container plants, native, pollinator-friendly
Uses: Accent, border, container gardening, cottage gardening, foundation planting, massing, specimen

How to Grow

Soil: Average, medium moisture, well-draining soils.
Light: Tolerates filtered sunlight but prefers full sun (> 6 hours sun).
Water: Average water needs. It can adapt to dry or moist conditions but cannot tolerate standing water.
Spacing: 18- 24 inches
Fertilizing: If necessary, fertilize in early spring with a slow-release product such as osmocote. However, fertilizing is generally unnecessary.
Winterizing: Appreciates a winter mulch in the northern parts of its growing range.
Maintenance & pruning: Deadhead individual spent flowers and remove spent flowering stems to encourage additional bloom. Once flowering finishes, cut plants back to the lower foliage to promote new growth.
Close-up of white and pink aster flowers in a garden

5 Reasons To Grow Aster This Fall

Aster is a fall-blooming perennial with many native species in North America, including the common white wood aster, calico aster, stoke’s aster, and New England aster. Here, we’ll discuss how to grow aster and give five reasons why this fall-blooming perennial belongs in your garden.

LEARN MORE

Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:

bush distance

Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:

bush distance zigzag

Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.

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