"Blue Wood Aster is a herbaceous perennial that may grow 3 feet tall. It has narrow, alternate leaves with a toothed margin. Pale blue to violet flowers bloom in large, loose panicles.

"A low maintenance perennial native to eastern and central North America the blue wood aster is commonly found naturalized in woodlands, meadows, or stream banks.  It can be weedy as it self-seeds very easily.

"Pinching back the stems will lead to a bushier plant and hopefully avoid the need for staking.  The foliage tends to decline by late summer and it can be cut to the ground to avoid any self-seeding and also to help with appearance.

"Grows in average, dry to moist (prefers moist), well-drained soils.  It does not tolerate poorly drained locations.  It can be found in part shade locations as it tolerates shade well." (North Carolina Extension)

Cover:

1. "Blue Wood Aster - Aster cordifolius 'Avondale' now Symphyotrichum cordifolium 'Avondale' 131005" by cultivar413 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
   
2. By Nadiatalent - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28158587

North Carolina Extension description:   Symphyotrichum Cordifolium (Blue Wood Aster, Common Blue Wood Aster, Heart-Leaved Aster) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-cordifolium/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.

Botanical illustration: S. cordifolium botanical illustration from Addisonia, New York Botanical Garden (1917)  By New York Botanical Garden. - https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/8577498086, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43046844