Eastern Showy Aster, Eurybia divaricata

Eurybia divaricata, or White Wood Aster, is a herbaceous perennial native to the Eastern United States that typically grows wild in dry open woods, primarily in Appalachian mountain areas.

It prefers partial shade with 3-4 hrs of sun daily in average, medium to dry well-drained soils. It is shade, deer, and drought tolerant. The showy white flowers appear in clusters in late summer to fall and are a favorite of bees and butterflies. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. White Wood Asters can grow to a height of 3 feet and spread vigorously by rhizomes. Shearing the plant to 6 inches in early summer produces a more compact plant.

Use this plant in open shade gardens, woodland areas, native, or cottage gardens. It is a tough native plant that blooms in the shade, and that can be hard to find!. You can propagate this plant by division in the spring. It will reach its full growth in 2 to 5 years.

This plant was selected as the 2008 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden