Stokesia
Stoke's aster
- Height × spread
- 0.46m – 0.46m × 0.46m – 0.46m
- Position
- Full sun
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
These cornflower like blooms deserve to be better known. They always attract attention when in flower with their big, beautifully formed heads of flowers in shades of white, pink and blue. They excite the eye but never look disproportionate, and are easy to please needing sunshine and well drained soil. In colder areas they may benefit from some protection - such as a mulch over the base - during winter.
- Flower colour
- Blue
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Cube
- Height
- 0.46m – 0.46m
- Spread
- 0.46m – 0.46m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Wild flower meadow, Seaside garden, Rock garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- Acid (ericaceous)
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, most are hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring · Outdoors
Apply acidic mulch
Where soil is only just acidic, apply mulch with a high acidic content such as leaf mould, or mulch for ericaceous plants. Alternatively the plant can benefit from a feed of iron supplement (iron chelate) such as sequestrol.
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.