BLUE WOOD ASTER, HEART LEAVED ASTER Symphyotrichum cordifolium
Symphyotrichum cordifolium, syn. Aster cordifolius (common names blue wood aster, blue wood-aster or heartleaf aster), is native to eastern North America. It can be readily found along forest edges and in open areas, as well in urban areas and in cultivation. The flowers are typically bluish and emerge in August and persist into October.
Symphyotrichum cordifolium is present in a wide area, from Manitoba in the north west, east to Nova Scotia and Maine, south to Georgia and Alabama and west to Oklahoma.
Blue wood-aster is a tough plant which can cope with neglect. It is particularly valued for supplying late summer, autumn and even winter flower color. Still widely referenced under its former name Aster cordifolius particularly in the British Isles.
Type: Hardy perennial
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Height: 36", 3 feet, 90 cm
Location: Sun or part
Seeds per pack: 20
Germination: As with many perennials, these seeds require a period of moist cold to help them grow. This is done by giving them a cold 'winter' period (artificial or natural), and then a warming to simulate 'spring', and time to grow! Here's how this can be done:
Obtain a planting container that has holes in the bottom for excess water to drain. Place the seeds just under the surface of your growing medium, and water. Place your container in a cold area (but not freezing, perhaps a refrigerator) for 5-6 weeks. Once the cold period is completed, place the container at room temperature for them to germinate. Be sure to keep the soil moist during this entire germination period. Seedlings will sprout a few weeks, or occasionally several months, after the warming period.
