New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Plant out 1 week before your last spring frost. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart.
Photo: The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Transplant (Spring)
From a plantRecommended from a plant- Plant out1 week before your last spring frost
- First bloombloom: late summer to fall, once established
Optimal Transplant (Fall)
From a plant- Plant outabout 20 weeks before your first fall frost
- First bloombloom: late summer to fall, once established
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended from seed- Start indoors9 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening off2 weeks before your last spring frost
- Plant out1 week before your last spring frost
- First bloombloom: late summer to fall, once established
Optimal Transplant
From seed- Plant out1 week before your last spring frost
- First bloombloom: late summer to fall, once established
Growing new england aster
- Spacing in the row
- 18 in (46 cm)
- Between rows
- 30 in (76 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/8 inch or surface sow
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, pH balanced, average to rich loam or clay-loam
- Germination
- 10-21 days after stratification at 65-75°F (18-24°C) after stratification
- Harvest season
- Bloom: Late Summer to Fall
- Mature height
- 3-6 feet
- Support
- Staking for taller varieties in rich soil or part shade, otherwise None
- Hardy to
- USDA zone 3
- Life cycle
- Perennial
Requires cold stratification for germination. Surface sow or plant very shallowly (1/8 inch) as light aids germination.
Watering. Keep consistently moist until established; then tolerant of average moisture.
Neighbours
The companion chart →Grows well beside
- Goldenrod
Coneflower- Blazing Star
- Joe Pye Weed
- Milkweed
Feeding
- Seedlings
- Diluted balanced liquid fertilizer (e.g., 10-10-10 at half strength) every 2 weeks.
- Growing
- Balanced granular fertilizer or compost in early spring.
- Flowering and fruiting
- Compost before flowering, optional high-phosphorus supplement if growth is weak.
- How often
- Once a year, in early spring, for established plants. Seedlings as needed.
- Note
- Avoid over-fertilization, which can lead to leggy growth and reduced flowering.
Your new england aster, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.