Tatarian aster is a herbaceous perennial wildflower in the sunflower family. Its stiff stems hold up showy purple flowers that bring interest in a late season garden. The genus name Aster is Latin for star, referring to the star-burst shape of the flowers. Plant in the full sun in and it will withstand a wide variety of soil types though it prefers good drainage. Light soils may lead to it spreading in the garden a bit too rapidly as this plant can be considered somewhat weedy. If the aggressively growing rhizomes become too large you can divide the root ball every three to four years. It tolerates the heat and humidity of southern summers well and is an excellent choice for a late-season pollinator plant, providing nectar for butterflies, moths, bees, and other pollinators when many plants are finished blooming. This is a tall plant, best used at the back of a wide border or in a naturalized area. Even though it is tall it only needs to be staked if it is grown in loose, moist, fertile soils. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Wilt, powdery mildew, and botrytis are occasional problems. It can spread aggressively. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lower leaves may be quite large, 6" x 24", and paddle shaped while upper leaves are smaller.
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial; Star
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Lavender-blue flowers 1" with yellow centers. Deadhead flowers to encourage bloom. A late blooming flower for the garden looks great from late summer up until the first frost.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Tan achenes
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect tall green stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, Siberia
Wildlife value
Butterflies, moths, and bees find this plant a great late season nectar source.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Moths
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Winter
Fruit type
Achene
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#lavender flowers #fast growing #long bloom time #border back #showy flowers #naturalizes #nectar plant mid-fall #fall flowers #naturalized area #daisy-like #nectar plant late fall #blue flowers #purple flowers #butterfly friendly #fall interest #nectar plant early fall #bee friendly #upright form #flowers mid-fall #aggressive #flowers early fall #flowers late summer #humidity tolerant #rhizomes #landscape plant sleuths course #buncombe county sun and shade garden #moth friendly #wildflower #weedy