Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Aster cordifolius) (Common Blue Wood Aster) Unity Grown

Symphyotrichum cordifolium (syn. Aster cordifolius), otherwise known as common blue wood aster, is a hearty native fall-blooming perennial wildflower. Low-growing, heart shaped leaves form a nice groundcover in the early spring, before taking on an upright form that can grow to three feet tall. Lavender to blue daisy-like flowers bloom from late summer to early fall, offering late season nectar for butterflies and other pollinators.

Commonly found in woodlands, meadows, or on stream banks, Symphyotrichum cordifolium can form colonies from underground rhizomes and self-seeding, but this can be controlled by regular separation and cutting plants back after foliage begins to decline in the late summer.