Asters bring vibrant late-season color to your garden just as other blooms fade.
Asters are cheerful, daisy-like perennials that bring brilliant color to the garden just as summer fades.
Blooming in shades of purple, pink, blue, and white, they provide a late-season feast for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when many flowers have finished. Their star-shaped blooms, reflected in the name “aster,” which means “star” in Greek, make them a standout in borders, meadows, and pollinator gardens.
In Colorado, asters thrive in the bright sun and cooler nights of late summer and fall. They prefer well-drained soil and moderate watering, showing impressive resilience to drought once established.
Cutting them back before early Summer encourages fuller growth and more blossoms later on. As autumn settles in, asters combine beautifully with ornamental grasses, goldenrod, and mums, extending the season’s color well into the first frosts.
They’re not only a low-maintenance visual delight once established, but also a vital link in supporting pollinators before winter arrives.
How to grow asters in your garden
Blooming in shades of purple, pink, blue, and white, they provide a late-season feast for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when many flowers have finished. Their star-shaped blooms, reflected in the name “aster,” which means “star” in Greek, make them a standout in borders, meadows, and pollinator gardens.
In Colorado, asters thrive in the bright sun and cooler nights of late summer and fall. They prefer well-drained soil and moderate watering, showing impressive resilience to drought once established.
Cutting them back before early Summer encourages fuller growth and more blossoms later on. As autumn settles in, asters combine beautifully with ornamental grasses, goldenrod, and mums, extending the season’s color well into the first frosts.
They’re not only a low-maintenance visual delight once established, but also a vital link in supporting pollinators before winter arrives.
How to grow asters in your garden
- Choose the Right Variety: Look for hardy types which tolerate Colorado’s variable climate and cold winters. Varieties of asters to consider include:
- New England - large blossoms, many available in both short and tall varieties
- Wild Blue Aster (native)
- Smooth aster - native, low-maintenance
- Aromatic Aster (lower more compact native)
- Heath Aster - masses of small white flowers on airy, cloud-like mounds
- Alpine - compact, early summer flowering aster (not for Fall color but a great choice if you want blooms earlier in the season)
- Planting Time: Plant in spring or early summer, giving roots time to establish before the fall bloom. You can also plant container-grown asters in early fall if you water consistently.
- Location: Pick a sunny spot — asters need at least 6 hours of direct sun daily.
- Soil: They prefer well-draining soil enriched with compost; they don’t like soggy roots.
- Watering: Water regularly through the growing season, especially during hot, dry spells, but allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
- Maintenance: Pinch back the stems by one-third in early summer to encourage bushier growth and more blooms. TIP: remove spent flowers once your asters have officially finished blooming. This helps avoid thin, unwanted seedlings that may not mirror the parent plant.
- Fall Care: After flowering, you can leave the seed heads for birds or cut the plants back once they die back naturally.
- Winter Prep: Mulch lightly after the ground freezes to protect roots from temperature swings.
With varieties ranging from compact mounds to tall, airy forms, asters fit beautifully into any garden design.