Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
rouge21_gw

Woods Purple Aster

I made an impulse purchase of this aster this morning. The description on the tag was appealing in that it indicated it was a compact plant...good for the spot I had in mind.

But doing a search for this particular aster on GW didnt seem to turn up many posts. Does "Woods Purple" also go by another name?

What has been your experience with this plant?

Comments (7)

  • karin_mt
    11 years ago

    Yes, it's compact. About 1 - 1.5 feet tall and maybe a foot wide. It's a good plant for this time of year. It's not a star, and it needs more water than you might think (at least here in a dry climate) but it's well-behaved and a reliable bloomer for fall.

    Oh, you might look under Wood's Pink, its sibling plant - perhaps you'd find info on that one?

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    I have Woods Blue and Woods Pink, but I didn't know there was a purple unless Blue is the same as Purple. (Once again, the blue really isnâÂÂt a blue, but you know how that goes.) Yes, the 2 I have do stay short for me - under 12 inches and they are my favorite fall asters (other than Purple Dome). As the season progresses, the foliage becomes very finely cut and is simply covered with flowers. Only 1 of mine is starting to bloom, so they can be a bit late.

    Yes, I agree WATER THEM in dry weather or the flowers will shrivel quickly as a few of mine are doing already. You will also have to divide this one yearly unless of course you want a huge clump of them. They multiply very quickly. A 4 inch division in spring will turn into a 12 inch blooming clump by fall.

    Kevin

    {{gwi:270104}}

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Kevin and Karin for your helpful replies.

    Kevin, your pictured aster is quite full, almost sprawling.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    One other thing:

    Both my Blue and Pink are just a couple of feet apart growing in the exact same conditions, but the Pink has been much more vigorous than the Blue. I divide the Pink annually, but the Blue only occasionally. Weird.

    Kevin

  • linlily
    11 years ago

    Glad I saw this thread. I bought a small pot of Wood's Blue last spring and it is blooming now. I think it's charming with all the tiny, finely cut foliage and now the purple flowers. I had had Purple Dome in that spot but it had gotten huge and took over an entire area. It also lost lots of bottom leaves during the summer and looked pretty ratty by bloom time.

    Linda

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    UPDATE:

    Here is our "Woods Purple" a year later (its first full season in the garden).

    The bloom color is incredible but the large splay in the middle is for sure distracting :(.

    (And it isn't as if it is tall either so I am not sure why it is like it is)

  • hostaholic2 z 4, MN
    10 years ago

    My Woods Pink died out and my blue is much more vigorous and requires frequent division or it spreads very rapidly. just the opposite of Kevin's experience.

Sponsored
Peabody Landscape Group
Average rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Franklin County's Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting