Aster macrophyllus (syn. Eurybia macrophylla)
Blooming Time
Exposure
(Image courtesy of Mt. Cuba Center) Big-Leaved Aster is a robust native species, forming clumps of broad, heart-shaped, basal foliage; with individual leaves spanning up to 8-inches. This woodland colonizer functions well as a shade-tolerant groundcover, but in late summer and fall it is adorned with tiny daisy-shaped, dainty pale-blue petaled, yellow centered flowers. Aster macrophyllus is beneficial to pollinators for its ample supply of late season pollen and nectar and is usually ignored by deer and other pests. Big-Leaved Aster is also quite adaptable, spreading by rhizomes and tolerating both dry and moist soil conditions, making it ideal for naturalizing in shady areas, especially along woodland borders.
Details
Hardiness Zone:
Blossom Color:
Blue to Blue Gray
Growth Habit:
Clump Forming
Max Height:
3'
Texture:
Recommended Spacing:
We sell this plant in these containers:
Special Characteristics
Features
Clumps of broad, heart-shaped, basal foliage adorned with tiny daisy-shaped, dainty pale-blue petaled, yellow centered flowers.
Landscape Value
Big-Leaved Aster is also quite adaptable, spreading by rhizomes and tolerating both dry and moist soil conditions, making it ideal for naturalizing in shady areas, especially along woodland borders.
Care
Watering:
Big-Leaved Aster is moderately drought tolerant but benefits from occasional watering, to maintain soil in a moist but not wet condition, during the summer months.
Fertilizing:
Big-Leaved Aster is a moderate feeder, benefiting from a couple of annual applications of slow release fertilizer. A spring application of a 3-1-2 ratio (such as a 15-5-10) can be applied at a rate of about 10 pounds per 1000 square feet, and during early fall, an application of a 2-1-2 ratio (such as a 10-5-10) can be applied to encourage root development and cold hardiness.
Pruning:
Big-Leaved Aster should be enjoyed all winter long, then, during early April before it begins to grow again, it should be pruned or mowed back to ground level.