Smooth Aster is one of the best of the garden plants. It's easy to grow and rarely needs staking, and it blooms early and stays in flower for up to six weeks.
It's also one of the most beautiful with blue-gray leaves and light-purple rays with yellow centers. Monarchs and other butterflies, bees and skippers all love Smooth Aster. Pollinators can be so crowded around this plant you wonder how someone late to the party finds an opening.
Smooth Aster likes full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. Its native range includes fields and dry openings in the woods.
Smooth Aster is narrower and more vertical than Calico Aster, although they both like sunny, well-drained sites. New York Aster prefers moister soils and tolerates brackish marshes.
