Wildflower Wednesday: Heartleaved Asters and Perennial Ageratum

From In the Garden

This month I will spotlight two native wildflowers that grow in my garden. I am including them both because they grow next to one another and because they are both blooming now! The two are heart leaved aster, aka woodland aster, (Symphyotrichum cordifolium aka Aster cordifolius) and the other is perennial ageratum (Conoclinium (Eupatorium) coelestinum). Both of these plants are in the aster family so it makes sense they bloom at the same time-late summer to fall.

From In the Garden

I grow these two in part shade in a moist area of my greenhouse garden. This garden is transitioning to a woodland/native garden due to the limited sun it receives. So far it has been an easy transition but once I am finished with some major rehabbing we shall see how it all works out.

I planted both of these natives last fall. So far this year they've not received any supplemental watering, though they did wilt quite a bit; especially the ageratum. I have been most happy with the ageratum but not as pleased with the woodland aster. The woodland aster flops much more than I'd like it to but perhaps it is more of a groundcover than an upright perennial or perhaps it is not getting enough sun. I'm not sure but as long as it blooms it is a keeper in my garden. I like these plants so I intend to spread them around a bit more.

There are many more great natives blooming or getting ready to bloom soon but my garden is kind of in between blooming periods. We have the detritus of the summer garden (daylilies, coneflowers, brown eyes, etc) and the lush foliage of blooms yet to come (pineapple sage, anemones, asters, and mums) so I am happy to have these two native wildflowers blooming as a bridge between peak periods here at Tiger Gardens.

See Gail for more Wildflower Wednesday posts....

in the garden....

Skeeter is out of the net for a while and will be back as soon as she is able.


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden