Calico Aster

Calico Aster lights up the fall garden with a profusion of small, white, daisy-like flowers held on arching stems. Each bloom features a center that shifts from yellow to pink to purple as it ages, creating a charming “calico” effect across the plant. Blooming from late summer until frost, it’s an essential late-season nectar source for bees, hoverflies, and other small pollinators.

This aster thrives at woodland edges, along paths, and in mixed naturalistic plantings. Its short nectar tubes accommodate a wide range of insects, including tiny native bees often overlooked by other plants. Though it spreads readily by seed and rhizome, Calico Aster is easy to edit and welcomes gardeners each fall with soft plumes of flower-laden stems.

Why Choose Calico Aster?

• Blooms late in the season when other flowers have faded
• Attracts small native pollinators and beneficial insects
• Subtle multicolored flowers add charm and texture
• Thrives in light shade to part sun at woodland edges
• Readily naturalizes in informal or layered plantings
  

• Though you may need to wait until fall to identify them, consider removing new seedlings to prevent spread if a controlled look is important to you