Zig Zag Aster - Symphyotrichum prenanthoides

ASTER-onomy at its finest. Their branching stems can't choose between all the different ways to grow, limiting themselves to a single direction. So they don't.  Crooked is their path from ground to sky,  a winding journey towards their destination: tiny stars. Lavender petals radiate from a stardust-yellow core.  Scatter them, galaxy-like, along wooded edges, banks, and boggy borders,  and reward brave insects charting courses through space who land among them. Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil with good drainage Size: 1' - 4' tall, 1' - 2' wide Zone: 4 - 7 Wildlife Value: Flowers support hover flies, skippers, bumblebees, and small bees, including several pollen specialists (Andrena asteris, Andrena asteroides, Andrena hirticincta, and Colletes simulans); larval host for dozens of species of butterflies and moths   Photo: Samantha Nestory