Plants & Gardening > Wildflower Of The Year

Wildflower Of The Year

The North Carolina Botanical Garden and the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. are co-sponsors of the North Carolina Wildflower of the Year program. In 2006 we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of this conservation project, which was initiated in 1982 (come by the Garden to see our commemorative poster, which you can purchase). The project's aim is to actively promote throughout the state and region an attractive plant that is native to the southeastern United States. To receive a brochure and seeds of the current North Carolina Wildflower of the Year, send a self-adressed, stamped envelope to:

2008 NCWFOY
North Carolina Botanical Garden
CB 3375 Totten Center, UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375

BEFORE ORDERING, please read our seed distribution policy

Wildflower Of The Year since 1982
1982	cardinal flower	Lobelia cardinalis
1983	cardinal flower	Lobelia cardinalis
1984	Small's beardtongue	Penstemon smallii
1985	butterfly milkweed	Asclepias tuberosa
1986	Foamflower	Tiarella cordifolia var. collina
1987	Eastern columbine	Aquilegia canadensis
1988	black-eyed susan	Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii
1989	Southern sundrops	Oenothera fruticosa
1990	seashore-mallow	Kosteletzkya virginica
1991	coreopsis	Coreopsis auriculata
1992	blue wild indigo	Baptisia australis
1993	great blue lobelia	Lobelia siphilitica
1994	river-oats	Chasmanthium latifolium
1995	green-head coneflower	Rudbeckia laciniata
1996	Eastern silvery aster	Aster concolor
1997	crimson-eyed rose-mallow	Hibiscus moscheutos
1998	Southern blazing star	Liatris squarrulosa
1999	american alumroot	Heuchera americana
2000	Eastern aromatic aster	Aster oblongifolius var. angustatus
2001	cardinal flower	Lobelia cardinalis
2002	Eastern smooth beardtongue	Penstemon laevigatus
2003	boneset	Eupatorium perfoliatum
2004	New York ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis
2005	swamp milkweed	Asclepias incarnata
2006	Eastern bluestar	Amsonia tabernaemontana
2007	swamp sunflower	Helianthus angustifolius

Last updated by Laura Cotterman on February 07, 2008 at 04:58:56 pm.

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2008 Wildflower of the Year

photo of photo of white wood-aster

White Wood-aster
A fall bloomer for a shady spot . . .

White wood-aster, Eurybia divaricata, is a great perennial for shady areas of the garden. It blooms at a time when most shade perennials are spent but before the fall asters are putting on their show. Its ease of cultivation, distinctive prostrate habit, and starry charm make this a plant worth trying.

The many small white blooms have relatively few rays. This gives each inflorescence a starry appearance which is especially effective in a shady corner. The disk flowers, comprising the center of the inflorescence, are yellow at first and age to shades of burgundy and brown. The basal foliage is toothed and heart shaped while stem leaves decline in size from the bottom up and may be heart shaped or more lance shaped.

Expect this low-growing aster to form a lax mound of foliage and flowers. Sprawling stems may find support by leaning on their neighbors or make a lovely tangle on the ground. Cardinal-flower, great blue lobelia, and axillary goldenrod are three perennials of similar scale, growing requirements, and bloom time. Plant white wood-aster among these or medium-sized ferns such as northern maidenhair to increase structure and visual interest. White wood-aster can also be useful as a shade-tolerant ground cover. A large patch is not difficult to establish, and once the plants mature they will bloom for weeks and weeks. The heart-shaped basal foliage maintains a presence in the landscape before and after the flowers steal the show.

This species is adapted to shady conditions and performs well in average to moist soil. As with many woodland wildflowers, it will benefit from a well-drained organic soil, but this tolerant plant can thrive in a broad range of soil conditions.

White wood-aster is common in the mountains and piedmont of North Carolina and present, though less common, in the coastal plain. Watch for its flowers in woodlands and along roadsides in late summer and fall.

A color illustration of the white wood-aster, painted by Dot Wilbur-Brooks, has been printed on T-shirts and is available for purchase in our Gift and Book Shop at the Totten Center.