10/17/2020
Georgia Native Plant Society
Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) is also blooming. This species is found only in a few states and we are so glad that Georgia is one of them! It has the largest blooms (up to 2 inches across) of any of our native asters. Compared to yesterday’s featured flower (S. patens), Georgia aster is similar in stems, leaves and growth pattern. Georgia aster, however, is generally a bigger plant, has larger flowers, and the color of the ray flowers is a deeper purple while the center disk flowers are a pale tan (compared to the bright yellow of the S. patens), fading to soft purple as they age.
Like S. patens, Georgia aster is not a particularly tidy plant and looks best in a plant community of native grasses, goldenrods and other perennials so the large flowers can mix and mingle among the stems of the other plants. Plants can increase in size over time through roots or via seed.