Heath aster 'Snow Flurry'
Symphyotrichum ericoides 'Snow Flurry' · Asteraceae
A flat, spreading mat of stiff stems and needle-like leaves that vanishes in early autumn under a drift of tiny white daisies.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid September to mid October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around heath aster 'Snow Flurry'
The planner designed this bed around heath aster 'Snow Flurry' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why heath aster 'Snow Flurry' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 6, white
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 16, pink
- 3 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 4 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 5 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 6 Wild lupine × 8, blue
- 7 Star of Persia × 4, purple
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are open bowls, flat plates, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for little bluestem. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 6 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 77% of the edge.
- 6 plants in 2 runs (3 and 3). Short runs, with other plants between, make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Beside little bluestem. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From mid September to mid October.
- Closes the season. For its last three weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' repeats along the bed to tie it together. Cool colours (pink, purple and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where heath aster 'Snow Flurry' goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
Almost a groundcover, and unlike any other aster. Let it spill over a wall or the edge of a path. It thrives in poor, dry soil and needs nothing done to it.
- Trailing over walls and edges
- Dry, sunny groundcover
- White for the autumn garden
What to plant with heath aster 'Snow Flurry'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Dragon's Blood': flowers first, late June to early August, so the spot is never empty; happy in the same dry soil.
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Creeping thyme: flowers first, early June to mid July, so the spot is never empty; low enough (3 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about heath aster 'Snow Flurry'
Does heath aster 'Snow Flurry' need sun or shade?
Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does heath aster 'Snow Flurry' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does heath aster 'Snow Flurry' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid September to mid October. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 3 | Mid September to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 5 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 6 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 7 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 8 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Mid September to mid October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should heath aster 'Snow Flurry' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many heath aster 'Snow Flurry' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used six in two groups.
Is heath aster 'Snow Flurry' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat heath aster 'Snow Flurry'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after heath aster 'Snow Flurry'?
Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does heath aster 'Snow Flurry' look like in winter?
Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
Is heath aster 'Snow Flurry' good for bees and butterflies?
Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' is visited by bees, specialist bees and butterflies.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Symphyotrichum
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies' Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'
- Aromatic aster 'Raydon's Favorite' Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Raydon's Favorite'
- Aster 'Wood's Purple' Symphyotrichum 'Wood's Purple'
- Blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium
- Calico aster 'Lady in Black' Symphyotrichum lateriflorum 'Lady in Black'
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Andenken an Alma Pötschke'
- New England aster 'Purple Dome' Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'
- New York aster Symphyotrichum novi-belgii
- Smooth aster 'Bluebird' Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'
In these guides
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid September to mid October; daisies; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Canada, northern central U.S.A., to Mexico
- Attracts
- Bees, specialist bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, poor soil, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.