Fall is the time for asters and goldenrods. One of the first asters to bloom in my garden each autumn is Eurybia macrophylla – the Large Leaf Aster. It flowers range from pale blue to pink to white, depending (it seems) on its growing conditions. In my garden, they’re mostly pale pink to white.
This flower is quite the trooper – loving it in full to part shade and dry to fairly moist sandy soils. (A friend grows it in heavy clay soil where it does OK – it just doesn’t flourish as well as it does in my sandy loam soil.)
Blooms start in August and often keep going till the first good frost.
As usual, the Plant Description and In the Garden sections are courtesy of Shawn Booth from In Our Nature. The content of this article is excerpted from our book The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region (Firefly Books), available wherever you buy your books.
Scientific Name: Eurybia macrophylla
Common Name: Large Leaf Aster
Family: Asteraceae (Aster Family)
Alternate Common Names: Bigleaf Aster, Large-leaf Wood Aster
Plant Description: Large Leaf Aster features large, heart-shaped basal leaves that measure about 20 cm long, 15 cm wide and are coarsely toothed, sparsely hairy, and borne on long leaf stalks. As the leaves ascend the stem they decrease in size and become shorter stalked to the point where the uppermost leaves are reduced to stalkless bracts. Leaf stalks are narrowly winged but become broadly winged as they ascend the stem. Stems are upright, rigid, sparsely hairy, and unbranching except for at the top where they branch out to support open, flat-topped flower clusters. Each cluster can have eight to 90 stalked flowers that measure up to 4 cm across. Individual flowers are characterized by nine to 20 unevenly spaced, thin ray florets (petals) that surround a yellow centre disk that turn a brownish red with age. Tightly packed, stout, hairy bracts surround the base of each flower and are found in four to six layers. They are green with a purple tinge and have whitish edges. Flowers give way to dry, brown, narrow seeds with tufts of white hairs that allow them to be carried by the wind.
In the Garden: Large Leaf Aster is valued by gardeners looking for a lush, reliable woodland groundcover with a bold texture. It spreads non-aggressively by rhizomes to form dense colonies over time. It is tolerant of dry shade and will grow in the dense shade under pine or spruce trees but with reduced flowering and vigour.
Skill Level: Beginner
Lifespan: Perennial
Exposure: Full shade to part shade
Soil Type: Sandy loam to rich loam
Moisture: Moist to dry
Height: 15–110 cm
Spread: 60 cm
Bloom Period: Aug, Sep, Oct
Colour: White, blue
Fragrant (Y/N): N
Showy Fruit (Y/N): N
Cut Flower (Y/N): N
Pests: No serious insect or disease problems
Natural Habitat: Open woods, thickets, and clearings
Wildlife Value: Nectar and pollen of the flowers attract a large number of native bees and other insects, and Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) eat the seeds and foliage
Butterfly Larva Host Plant For: Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Moth Larva Host Plant For: Aster Borer Moth (Carmenta corni), Asteroid Moth (Cucullia steroids), Arcigera Flower Moth (Schinia arcigera), others
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–7
Propagation: Sow seeds outside in fall or, if starting indoors, provide 60 days cold, moist stratification for any seeds that haven’t germinated in three to four weeks. Do not cover the seeds as they require light to germinate. Also can be propagated by stem cuttings taken in late spring or by dividing mature clumps.
Additional Info: Individual plants don’t flower every year, which means that in a patch of Large Leaf Aster only a few plants will bloom each year, and therefore it is best used as a groundcover for its heart-shaped leaves.
Native Range:
