Aster laeve, known synonymously as Symphyotrichum laeve, or Smooth Aster, is a North American native perennial known to inhabit open woods and meadows, roadsides and disturbed sites. Bluish, light lavender daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers that fade to reddish brown once pollinated attract bees and butterflies from August to October, all throughout the end of the summer and well into early autumn. Smooth Aster is grown easily in rocky, shallow soils, and can be successfully used in soil stabilization projects where erosion is a concern. The smooth, somewhat waxy foliage and stems have a slightly blue-green cast, and are host materials for the Pearl Crescent and Silvery Checkerspot butterflies. Various songbirds are known to eat the tufts of seeds that persist from late fall well into winter, making Aster laevis a well-rounded source of ecological benefits for many of our native fauna.

• Category: Perennials
• Hardiness Zone: 3
• Height: 36 Inches
• Spread: 18 Inches
• Bloom Color: Blue, Lavender/Purple, Purple, White