Stokes Asters Drought Tolerant Summertime Flowers
Stokes’ Aster, Stokesia laevis, is native to the Southern US, from North Carolina to Louisiana, where they grow inwards wetlands, bottomlands, too ditches. The Stokesia Blue Frills inwards the photograph is inwards its 3rd yr inwards our garden, without wintertime protection. 
Stokesia laevis plants are mutual depression temperature hardy inwards zones v to nine too a low-cal wintertime mulch volition ensure their furnish the next spring.
The blueish bloom varieties are the almost usually grown past times gardens too gardeners although in that place are pink, regal too white varieties available. Stokes’ Asters bloom inwards June too July inwards total sun. Since they spread exclusively to ane or one-and-a-half feet wide, they are ideal for the forepart of a shrub bed.
Stokes’ Asters are slow to grow inwards average soil alongside medium moisture. They volition tolerate business office Sun but bring to a greater extent than flowers too stronger stems when grown inwards total Sun (6 hours a day).
Drought tolerance is ane of the advantages of Stokes’ Asters. They prefer the proficient drainage of a container, a hillside bed or sandy soil. An surface area where the roots remain wet too mutual depression temperature all wintertime volition motility their early on demise.
To transcend away along them blooming, deadhead (cut off) the faded flowers too take stems that hold off spent. They may bring a autumn re-bloom. After plants halt flowering the stems tin hold out cutting dorsum to the base.
Stokes’ Asters bring no insect or illness problems; deer too rabbits create non consume them. They bring to hold out divided every four to half-dozen years. They were named for the botanist doc Jonathan Stokes, a friend of Carl Linnaeus. doc Stokes also discovered the heart-healing digitalis inwards Foxglove plants.
To grow Stokesia, found seeds straight inwards the garden inwards autumn or early on spring. Seeds tin hold out purchased or collected from existing plants. Plant roots tin hold out divided inwards Oct to propagate indoors this winter.
