Aster Seeds - Smooth Blue
$3.95
Symphyotrichum laeve
These super sweet flowers are guaranteed to bring pollinators to your garden! Smooth Blue Aster is native to most of the US and an important keystone plant that supports a wide range of pollinators and native species. It is especially important to the wildlife because its late-blooming flowers are a source of food when most other blooms have faded. Its happy blue, daisy-shaped flowers will be buzzing with bees and fluttering with butterflies from late summer to early fall! Prefers well-drained, average soil and full sun, or at least six hours of sun. Becomes drought tolerant once established.
Smooth Blue Aster Seeds are easy to start from seed and do not require cold stratification. Seeds can be direct sown after frost and once established this aster will last for years to come. Perennial. Full Sun. Will self-seed. Will bloom in second year. 0.5 gram packet contains a minimum of 300 seeds.
- Planting Information
- How to Grow
- Seed Saving
| Min. seeds / packet | Packet size | Average seeds / 1/8 oz | Average seeds / oz |
| 300 | 0.5 | 1,890 | 15,120 |
| Planting Season | Ideal Soil Temp | Sun | Frost Tolerance |
| After Last Frost | 70-75°F | Full Sun | Frost Sensitive |
| Sowing Method | Seed Depth | Direct Seed Spacing | Days to harvest |
| Direct Seed | 1/8" | N/A | 2 years |
| Mature Spacing | Days to Sprout | Production Cycle | Seed Viability |
| 18-24" | 14-20 | Annual | 1 year |
Why Grow Smooth Blue Aster
Smooth Blue Aster is native to much of the United States and is a keystone plant, meaning it is a crucial plant in the food and reproductive systems of many different animals and insects. Because it is a later season bloomer, from August to October, it provides a source of food at a critical time for pollinators when most other blooms are fading.
When to Plant Smooth Blue Aster
Direct sow seeds in early spring when the soil has warmed above 50 degrees.
Where to Plant Smooth Blue Aster
Smooth Blue Aster prefers full sun for at least 6 hours a day. It will tolerate moist soil to dry soil, but does not like wet, poorly draining soil. Plant with other pollinator flowers to feed pollinators all season long!
Suggested native companion flowers: Joe Pye Weed, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Milkweed, Clustered Mountain Mint, Liatris, Gaillardia, Showy Goldenrod
How to Plant Smooth Blue Aster
Direct sow seeds on the surface of the dirt after the soil has warmed a bit in the spring, about 50 degrees. Smooth Blue Aster does not like to be buried as a seed, so lightly press into the surface or barely cover with compost. It is a perennial, and will come back year after year as well as self seed without much care needed once established. If you’d like to move them around after they are established, simply dig them up in early spring or late fall to transplant.
How Often to Water Smooth Blue Aster
While establishing, keep young plants moist but not wet, they do not like wet roots and prefer well-draining soil! Once established, it will survive drought conditions and do not need to be watered.
In autumn, wait until the seed heads are brown and puffy. You can hand pick seeds from the pods and they will some away easily, or cut the entire branch off and place in a bag and shake vigorously to separate the seeds from the seedheads. These seeds are small, and attached to parachute-like fluff that helps them disperse in the wind.