Starlight PA
2012

Asters are perennial flowers that bloom from late summer through fall. Growing 1 to 6 feet tall, depending on variety, these upright flowering plants bear cheerful star-shaped flower heads ranging in color from purple to white to blue.

Even though there are more than 600 aster species, the two most commonly encountered asters in home gardening are the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and the New York aster (S. novi-belgii). Several years ago, the Aster genus was split into multiple genera. Aster now covers most European and Asian asters, while those native to North America now belong to Symphyotrichum.