Where: White wood aster thrives in light to open shade in rich well-drained soil. Size: This perennial will grow to be 1 foot 9 inches tall and 3 feet wide when mature.

White wood aster has heart-shaped leaves borne along thin, purple-black cascading branches. The cultivar 'Eastern Star' is shorter than the species and has deep dark shining mahogany stems.

The white wood aster (Aster divaricatus) tolerates dry shade and average to poor soil. You have no doubt seen this hardy plant in woodland areas.

Another similar variety, the white wood aster or Aster divaricatus, colonises the eastern side of North America from Quebec and Manitoba to Georgia and Tennessee, growing in dry soil in open ...