Bright blue flowers & shapely blue-green leaves make this one of the best end-of-season bloomers. Smooth aster tends to remain upright when flowering which also adds to its suitability for formal landscapes. This is a fantastic, showy pollinator plant for the end of the season. It is fairly easy to distinguish from other asters because of its smooth, hairless leaves that clasp at the base and appear to have a bluish/grayish tint. While deer will certainly browse on smooth aster, this typically doesn't affect survival unless browsing is relentless. Trimming the plant a few times during the growing season (similar to occasional deer browse) will promote branching and more flowers.

Uses: bees, butterflies

Bloom time: September - October

Height: 20 to 30 inches

Space: 16 to 20 inches

Sun: Full sun to light shade

Moisture: Dry to average

Seed: Sow seed November through February or cold-moist stratify for a couple of weeks to promote more germination. Fresh seed will likely germinate with little stratification, but better safe than sorry.

• ~200 seeds per packet
• 53,250 seeds per ounce
• One oz. should cover up to 1,700 square feet