Eurybia divaricata

Eurybia divaricata: A Starry White Cloud for Dry Shade

Dark, zigzagging stems that look like they had a few too many at the cottage, topped with clouds of tiny white daisies. This native aster lights up dry shade late in the season when everything else has clocked out. THE NIGHT SHIFT HAS ARRIVED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Eurybia divaricata (formerly Aster divaricatus)
• Common Name: White Wood Aster
• Height: 30–75 cm (1–2.5 ft)
• Spread: 45–75 cm (1.5–2.5 ft)
• Flowers: Small white daisies, about 2 cm (3/4 in) across, with yellow centres that age to reddish purple, in loose, flat-topped clusters
• Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Heart-shaped, toothed green leaves on thin, dark, zigzagging stems
• Features: Tolerates dry shade once established

Where to Plant: Use it under trees, along a woodland path or on a shady slope. It spreads slowly by rhizomes and can fill a shady bed as a loose groundcover. Its sprawling stems also soften the edge of a path nicely.

Companion Plants: Plant white wood aster in a shady native woodland bed where it lights up late summer under the trees. Phlox divaricata opens pale blue woodland phlox at 30 to 38 cm in April and May. Cimicifuga racemosa adds white candle spikes at 120 to 180 cm in July and August. Symphyotrichum cordifolium brings pale blue wood asters at 60 to 90 cm in September and October. Carex appalachica fills in at 15 to 30 cm with fine, thread-like blades.

Plant Care: Plant in part shade to full shade in average, well-drained soil. It does best with some moisture but handles dry woodland soil once established, including under trees. Water through the first season. It doesn't need feeding. The stems can lean or flop, especially in rich soil. If you want a tidier look, cut the plant back by about a third in late spring. Cut stems to the ground in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring if it spreads further than you'd like.

History: White wood aster is native to eastern North America, from the Appalachians north into southern Ontario and Quebec, where it grows in open deciduous woods. It was long known as Aster divaricatus before botanists moved it to Eurybia, and divaricata means spreading or widely branching, a nod to its zigzag, open flower stems.

Final Thoughts: Plant it under trees where the grass refuses to grow. IT DOESN'T ASK FOR MUCH, JUST A LITTLE SHADE AND SOME RESPECT.