Climbing Aster

Ampelaster carolinianus

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-10b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial

Height at Maturity: 6-10′

Width at Maturity: 6-10′
Spacing: 5′ for mass plantings

Growth Habit / Form: Climbing, Mounding

Growth Rate: Very Fast!

Flower Color: Pink to Purple

Flower Size: 1-3″

Flowering Period: Fall

Flower Type: Daisy

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color: No

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Part Shade

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay to ensure good drainage), Loam, Sand, Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well Drained to Occasionally Dry

Soil pH: 6.0-7.5 (Slightly Acidic to Slightly Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low, Moderate

Attracts: Butterflies, Beneficial Pollinators, Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Rabbit

Description

Ampelaster, commonly called Climbing Aster, is a wonderful North American native perennial plant adored for its climbing habit and flower power. It rapidly grows up to 10 foot long sprawling stems that can be attached to and sprawl over over fences, arbors and trellises or can allowed to ramble through and around shrubs or cover slopes and embankments. In the wild you might fight it growing in lowland marshes, on streambanks and other areas with soil that stays consistently moist, but it will also grow in average garden soils and even tolerates periodic dry conditions. It will tolerate some shade but in our gardens we’ve found that it flowers much heavier with 5 hours or more of direct sunlight. In mid to late fall the plant becomes smothered with clusters of 1-inch daisy-like disk-shaped flowers with purple to pink rays surrounding a yellow to orange center. Climbing aster is one of a few plants that’s blooming in our gardens when the leaves are falling, which makes it a great late-season nectar source for migrating monarch butterflies and other native pollinators.

Wildlife Value

The Climbing Aster is a larval host to Pearl Crescent caterpillars which have several broods and appear from April through November in the north and throughout the year in the deep south. Its flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies and songbirds and small mammals eat the seeds.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing up to 10 feet tall and wide, the Climbing Aster is ideal for use to climb and sprawl over fences, posts and trellises or as a sprawling plant in borders or on slopes. It is truly breathtaking in groupings or mass plantings. A fine addition to butterfly gardens, cottage gardens, native plant gardens and purple theme gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 5′ for mass plantings

Growing Preferences

The Climbing Aster is very easy to grow in most any consistently moist to moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade. That said, it will not tolerate standing water. It is most floriferous and more compact in full to mostly sun. Provide at least 5 hours of direct sun for best flowering. You can deadhead this plant in the fall, but wait to do additional trimming in spring when the plant is showing signs of awakening.

Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tab above on desktop computer screens or below on mobile devices.

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us!