Virginia ecotype
Duration: Perennial
Habit: Upright, open-branched, spreading by rhizomes, airy
Size: Typically 2 to 4 feet tall; 1.5 to 3 feet wide
Flowering Time: August to October
Bloom Color: Pale lavender to bluish with yellow centers (turning reddish-purple with age)
Habitat: Dry woodlands, open woods, rocky slopes, woodland edges, thickets
Moisture: Dry to average; well-drained
Light: Part sun to part shade (tolerates more shade than many asters)
Soils: Sandy, loamy, or rocky soils; thrives in acidic, nutrient-poor sites
Uses: Woodland restorations, naturalized borders, pollinator gardens, late-season nectar source, dry-site native plantings
Symphyotrichum undulatum (Waxy-leaf aster)
The waxy-leaf aster gets its name or the velvety texture and gray-ish sheen of the distinctively spade-shaped foliage. One of the most drought and shade-tolerant of the fall blooming purple asters, this predominantly woodland species occurs in dry and barren rocky soils, often along steep forest inclines.
Blooming with clusters of light lavender flowers beginning in August and lasting up to November, the waxy-leaf aster provides color in shady and dry landscapes and on hilly topography. The flowers draw a plethora of native bees, small butterflies and moths, and beneficial beetles such as the goldenrod soldier beetle. Species in the genus Symphyotrichum serve as host plants to dozens of insects including the Wavy-Lined Emerald, Pearl Crescent, Silvery Checkerspot, and American Lady butterflies.
The waxy-leaf aster is perfectly fine growing in part sun or full sun as long as the soil is of average or drier moisture, and well draining. In higher sun this species can attain heights of 3 - 5 feet when it begins to flower, but in more shade will usually stay below 2 - 3 feet. Giving the plants a trim in the summer will result in a bushier appearance without sacrificing blooms.