Summary
A Mt. Cuba Center Plant Introduction. Ranked as the #1 aster in an evaluation study at Mt. Cuba Center, this herbaceous perennial produces abundant, violet blue flowers on 3-4’ tall stems as fall color begins in the surrounding forest. It has attractive, slightly glossy, bluish-green foliage that is virtually pest-free. Bluebird smooth aster thrives in full sun to light shade with a broad tolerance of soil types and moisture levels. It makes an excellent perennial border specimen, meadow component or used in mass plantings. Some good companions include Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon virginicus, Rudbeckia fulgida, Eutrochium purpureum ‘Big Umbrella’, Euthamia caroliniana, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, and Helianthus angustifolius.
‘Bluebird’ was discovered in 1988 in a Guilford, Connecticut garden as a spontaneously occurring seedling. It was first introduced to the trade in 1994.
More Details
- Plant Type
perennial - Sun/Shade Conditions
filtered-shade, full-sun - Foliage Character
deciduous - Soil Moisture
average, dry, moist - Flowering Period
early-fall, late-fall, mid-fall - Soil PH
adaptable - Flower Color
blue - Summer Foliage Color
blue-green, green - Other Scientific Names
Aster laeve var. laeve ‘Bluebird’
- Fall Foliage Color
green - Fruit/Seed Color
brown, tan