38 Types of Aster to Beautify Your Flower Beds

The genus Aster has several plant species producing some lovely flowers. Belonging to the Asteraceae family, there are numerous types of aster flowers that you should know about if you want to grow them in your garden or are simply interested in them.

38 Types of Aster

You can go through a sweeping list of some of these aster types below. We're including images, and you can stop when any that catch your eye and read the quick description about them.

As you read know two things. First, there are two primary groups of aster, which are New York and New England. New York asters are on average shorter (2-4 feet tall) with smoother leaves and thinner stems. New England asters are taller (3-4 feet tall) with furry leaves, thick stems, and are bushier in general.

The second thing to know they perform the best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8 and desire full sun. They can tolerate partial shade but the results will be less than maximal. Make sure the soil drains well and is loamy.

Barr’s Pink

This is an aster plant that belongs to the New England variety. It features large pink flowers with numerous petals and a yellow-bronze center. These flowers bloom in the months of fall. The leaves are small and fuzzy.

Rosa Sieger

This is a New England aster variety with thin green leaves. The flowers that bloom in the months of fall are multi-petaled with pale or light pink colors and yellow centers. The plant can grow around four feet tall.

Apricot Duchess

This variety is also called the ‘Peony Duchess’. The flowers of this plant are different from other asters, featuring various shades of pink with closed-up and clustered petals.

These and other aster varieties look great when grown with the various types of rhododendron, in my opinion, based on similar color palettes but different shapes.

Blackberry Surprise

These asters grow as double blooms and feature a cluster of multiple petals that form a globe-like shape. These flowers are rich purple in color, often having darker shades of blue too.

Red Star Aster

This New England variety has typical aster flower types featuring multiple but distinct petals. These flowers are red in color and have a yellow center. They bloom in summer and fall and grow up to 1.5 feet in size.

Purple Dome

These types of aster can grow up to two feet tall and feature lilac or purple distinct petals with golden-yellow centers. They close up like a dome when the sun isn’t out, although they can still manage a bit of shade. The purple hues go well with purple types of wisteria or purple weigela varieties in the same garden.

Lou Williams

These New England asters grow up to six feet in height and have pink-purple flowers. They bloom in fall and can also withstand colder weather in well-draining soil. These usually grow bigger than other asters.

Treasure Aster

These asters grow big too, managing to reach a height of up to five feet. The flowers are lilac and blue in color and great for bees and butterflies. The petals close up when it gets dark.

Coombe Violet

This is a New York aster variety with violet petals and a bright yellow center. Blooming in fall, these plants love the sun and a bit of shade. They bear dark green foliage.

Harrington’s Pink

This New England variety results in lovely light pink blooms with the typical yellow centers. These flowers bloom towards the end of summer and through the beginning of fall. The plant grows up to six feet tall.

Eventide Aster

This variety produces semi-double flowers that are lavender and purple in color. They require minimal watering and plenty of sunlight. They manage to grow up to three feet tall.

Calico Aster

Calico asters, also called starved asters or white woodland asters, are perennial plants that bear smaller flowers than the other varieties. The center of these types of aster turn pink from cream while the petals are smaller, fewer and white in color.

Fellowship

The New York varieties of aster produce double flowers that range from light pink to white in color. They bloom in summer and fall and have thin green leaves. The yellow centers often turn green. The fellowship aster looks great to flesh out the base area where any types of sunflowers grow.

September Ruby

The New England aster varieties can reach a height of four feet. The flowers are ruby in color, which contrasts with the yellow center. They enjoy the sun and need moderate watering.

Grunder Aster

This Italian aster variety has dark lavender petals with a bright yellow center. The plant grows around three feet tall, with the flowers blooming in late summer. It can tolerate droughts well.

Monch Aster

These perennial lavender aster types can grow up to three feet tall. The flowers bloom through mid to late summer and the first few months of fall. They can also resist both heat and mildew.

Ada Ballard

This large New York variety blooms double flowers that are lavender-blue in color. Although they require well-draining soil like most asters, they also need more watering than most. They grow around three feet tall.

Royal Ruby

This is a New York variety with multiple ruby pink flowers. The center is yellow but less so than other asters. The plant remains up to two feet tall, with the flowers blooming in summer and fall.

Audrey Aster

Another New York variety, this plant remains short, growing up to 1.5 feet tall. The flowers are light pink to lilac in color. This plant can survive even in dry soil but still need regular watering.

Violet King

These types of aster have violet and purple petals along with bright golden-yellow centers. These flowers usually bloom towards the end of summer and enjoy bright sunlight. They sometimes cluster up too.

Professor Anton Kippenberg

This New York variety grows up to two feet tall and has lilac and blue flowers. The yellow center tends to grow in size as the plant matures. The leaves cluster together and are dark green in color.

Chatterbox Aster

This is another New York variety that grows as double flowers. The flower petals grow in a clustered manner and have a bright golden center. They are light pink and lilac in color.

First Snow

This is also referred to as the Heath Aster. It remains close to the ground and features yellow centers with relatively tiny petals that are white in color. The plant can grow up to two feet tall.

Kickin’ Lilac Blue

A New England variety, this plant can grow up to three feet tall. The flowers are lilac-blue in color, although the petals are thinner than other asters. They tend to grow in clusters. Letting them grow alongside the white types of jasmine flowers can really help them pop out with the white acting like a background color.

Sapphire Aster

These are also called Bushy Asters. The flowers are thin, large and lilac in color, while the leaves are slender and dark green with spiny borders. They grow in summer and fall, usually remaining close to the ground.

Wood’s Pink

These dwarf asters love the sun. They usually bloom flowers in the fall. These flowers have semi-double petals that are light pink in color. These are generally used for growing along borders of gardens.

Nanus Aster

These types of aster flowers are lilac-blue in color. They have fewer petals than other asters, giving them a star-like shape. The flowers bloom in the months of fall and are pretty easy to care for.

Hella Lacy

This is a New England variety that tends to grow up to five feet tall. The petals are thin and violet in color, usually blooming in late summer throughout the fall months. The plants grow as bushes.

Mrs. S.T. Wright

Growing up to five feet tall, this New England varieties of aster grow as clumps, featuring blooms that are violet and blue in color. The petals are extremely slender, although the flowers themselves are quite big.

October Skies

Growing up to two feet tall, these asters are aromatic, while the flowers are large with light blue to violet petals. The centers are yellow, although they usually become darker as the months proceed.

Fanny’s Aster

These asters usually bloom towards the end of the fall while also withering and falling pretty quickly. They are purple or lilac in color and usually have a distinct smell. They also enjoy bright sunlight.

White Swan

Growing up to two feet tall, this variety has aster flower types with a yellow center and thin white petals, making them look like daisies or types of daffodils. These flowers bloom in the months of summer and fall.

Little Carlow

These types have a single layer of petals that are lavender in color. They grow up to two feet tall and generally bloom in clusters, making a lovely cover. They bloom in early fall.

Jungfrau Aster

These asters bloom well into the summer and through the early months of fall. The flowers are purple in color and carry a star-like shape. They grow around a couple of feet tall.

Purple Cloud

These types of aster are a New England variety and usually blooms in late summer and early fall. The petals are thin, large and purple in color, growing around a bright yellow center. They tend to grow in clusters.

Rosa Erfullung

These are Italian aster types, growing up to two feet tall. The flowers of this plant are pink to lilac in color and usually require moderate levels of water, tolerating the heat quite well.

Snow Flurry

These aster varieties tend to bloom forth daisy-like white flowers in summer and fall. The petals are usually spaced apart and surround a yellow disc. They grow in bushes alongside dark green leaves.

Kickin’ Carmine Red

This is a bushy and small New England variety with red-pink flowers. The centers can be golden or a darker red. They can grow up to three feet tall.

Types of Aster Flowers to Enhance Your Garden

Based on what we have seen above, there are numerous types of aster flowers that bear different kinds of flowers with distinct characteristics. You can now go ahead and figure out if you want to try growing and keeping some of these for yourself and livening up your garden and home.

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