Eurybia divaricata - White Woodland Aster

. Sizes available: Landscape plug, 6.00 each or 10 for 48.00, mix and match okay

Basics: zones 4-8, 12-18" x 18", part sun to shade, pretty white blooms in late summer to early fall, very adaptable to drought once established.

Common names: White Woodland Aster

Synonyms: Aster divaricatus

Family: Asteraceae

Origins/Distribution: Occurs in all of New England and as far south as Georgia. Native to Maine. These plants were grown from seed collected in New England. 

Habitat: dry, open woods

More: Eurybia divaricata has a pretty white flower that brightens up the shade in late summer. The stem has a pronounced "zigzag" which creates a visible rhythm when planted en masse. I find the dried seedheads attractive and they hold up surprisingly well in the winter. The seed is eaten by small mammals and songbirds. This plant looks delicate, but is a strong grower, adaptable, and will self-sow. It can weave in and around other woodlanders or make a ground cover for shade if allowed to. I also like putting it in smaller bouquets both fresh and as a dried seed head. Larval host for both the Pearl Crescent, Phyciodes tharos, and the Northern Crescent, Phyciodes cocyta, both of which are present in Maine and feed on the Asteraceae family (there is some controversy as to wether or not these are actually separate species of butterfly, but they don't care and neither does this aster).

Source: Van Berkum, grown from seed collected in New England

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons