Keystone Value: The genus Aster (Aster) supports over 90 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars, providing food for a variety of birds and mammals.

Smooth Aster (Aster laevis) is a lovely perennial typically occurring in prairies, dry open woods, roadside banks and thickets. It gets stunning violet/purple flowers with yellow centers in open, loose clusters in autumn. This makes it a necessary late-season food source for butterflies and pollinators. This plant looks fantastic in borders, cottage gardens and meadows. It is tolerant of drought, erosion, and dry or shallow-rocky Soil. Additionally, aster has no insect or disease concerns, and is extremely resistant to mildew making it an excellent low maintenance addition to any garden!
This species is a host plant for the lovely Pearl Crescent butterfly, pictured above.

Direct Native Plants ships from our nurseries in Middle River, Maryland, and Woodstock, Illinois. Orders are shipped via FedEx Ground from these locations and typically arrive at most destinations within two (2) business days from the day they ship.

To get your plants to you as quickly and efficiently as possible, we ship orders based on current inventory availability and your proximity to our nurseries. This helps ensure faster delivery and the best experience for your order. In some cases, items in the same order may ship from different locations.