This late-blooming plant is a true star of the fall garden. Known botanically as Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’ (syn. Aster novaenglish), this aster has been delighting audiences with his colorful performance all summer long and will continue to do so through September!
The first sign of autumn is the changing colors. The dark green leaves turn into vibrant shades such as purple and gold, making it a stunning site to see all season long.
The Purple Dome plant is beautiful and deserves a place in your garden. With so many notable traits, it will be easy for you to grow this hard working member of the family.
What makes Aster Purple Dome so special?
A true winter wonder, the Aster Purple Dome has a lot more to offer. A cultivar of North American native plants that can be found in both hot and cold climates alike, this beautiful flower offers up hardiness through its stunning coloration while still remaining vibrant year-round! It can thrive in winter temperatures as low as -20°F.
The purple dome is a low-growing plant that tolerates summer heat like no other! With an 18 to 20 inch height, this makes it perfect for use in gardens or landscapes.
The small stature also means you can easily incorporate the little guy into walkways and beds around your property.
The best way to show off your garden’s beauty is by using a Aster Purple Dome. It has an interesting growth habit that doesn’t spread, stays neat and compact all season long with pretty flowers in shades of plumb purple at the center.
The flowers of the aster family are particularly attractive to pollinators, and these plants can provide nectar throughout autumn when other sources such as maples or apples might be gone.
On my plants, I frequently find numerous species of native bees and butterflies feeding the delicious treat! Asters in general can provide an autumn bounty for these pollinators too – Purple Dome is no exception with its sweet flowers.
When does Aster Purple Dome bloom?
The Aster Purple Dome is a beautiful flower that typically blooms around late August and stays in bloom for 6 to 8 weeks. In hot weather, the flowers may fade faster but cooler autumn days make this an issue of little concern!
Pinching back your plants once or twice earlier in the growing season delays bloom time by a few weeks and keeps them compact. This isn’t necessary, but it’s great for ensuring you’ll have color all through October.
To pinch back all aster varieties, trim off the top 2-3 inches of every stem once in late May and again early July. Do not cut plants later in summer or you may not have flowers before frost time in autumn.
Caring for the plants
The Aster family is full of plants that don’t need much maintenance. You will find the Purple Dome aster to be no exception! The compact habit and naturally small stature make this variety perfect for those with limited space or gardeners who want their flowers confined in size.
It can be kept in containers as it doesn’t need to be staked or pinched, and its small habit means that the plants will never get too tall making them difficult to cultivate.
In order to keep your Aster from getting too long and lanky, it’s important that you divide the plant every four-five years. This will ensure a fuller bloom season! Also, there’s no need for deadheading as this plant blooms very late in the season.
To prevent the plants from developing powdery mildew, make sure you give them enough room and provide good air circulation around it.
Aster Purple Dome is such a carefree plant. It only needs regular maintenance to keep it looking great and healthy, like an annual haircut for your hair!
Trim the entire plant down in spring when you start seeing new green growth emerging from below ground at base of each node on its stalk (stem).
The old stems can be left to stand all winter long. The goldfinches and other birds enjoy eating the seeds, whilst pollinators take shelter in dead stalks through the harsh season for protection from storms or predators alike!
Where to plant Aster Purple Dome
Purple Dome is a plant that prefers the sun, but can withstand some shade. In partial-shade conditions, it may grow longer and leggier which means you will have to stake them if they flop over too much. If given enough sun exposure though these sturdy stems become upright!
The beauty of these plants is undeniable. They make any space look better with their delicate, leafy stature and colorful blooms! You won’t need much in terms of soil for these annuals to thrive, just provide them with moist soil, but make sure the soil is not drowning in water all winter long, as this may cause crown rot.
Mix Aster Purple Dome into your perennial bed and meadow plantings, or place a few around the mailbox or front steps. They can handle some sun as long as it gets plenty of air circulation; these will thrive!
Companion Plants with Aster Purple Dome
Fall is the perfect season for Aster Purple Dome. This gorgeous plant really shines when paired with other late-season bloomers and ornamental grasses like switchgrass or little bluestem. For an extra pop of color, I recommend pairing it with one these two colorful options from Solidago: ‘Golden Fleece’ or Goldkind’.
I also love to see Aster Purple Dome with Helenium plants as the two are in bloom at the same time. ‘Mardi Gras’ is my favorite orange variety, and Moerheim Beauty has a coppery red color that I find absolutely stunning!
Though they aren’t covered in blooms like other flowers do, these lacy gray leaves offer just enough texture for an excellent background against this beautiful purple flower.
Potential problems with Aster Purple Dome
The carefree Aster Purple Dome has problems too, but luckily I’ve defeated a handful of infestations with horticultural oil and monthly applications. The rabbits are another story though-I’ve had to use spray repellent to keep them away!
Powdery mildew is one problem that can ruin your gardening aspirations. While Purple Dome plants are known for their resistance to this fungus, hot and humid summers will eventually affect the lower leaves on these plants with browning or die-back in some cases as well.
Give the plants plenty of air circulation to keep them looking good. You can preventative spray an organic fungicide such as Monterey Complete, Revitalize or Safer Neem Oil but powdery mildew is largely aesthetic and does not cause long term damage; it just makes a plant look bad!