Peachie’s Pick Stoke’s Aster LOCAL GROWER

Botanical name:^TStokesia laevis “Peachie’s Pick”

Family: Daisy (Asteraceae)

Category: Herbaceous perennial

Primary uses: Perennial gardens, native plant gardens

Dimensions: 24 inches tall by 18 inches wide

Culture: Full sun to part shade; stoke’s aster is happiest in a moist, well-drained soil, but will tolerate drier conditions than the optimum. Remove flower stalks after blooming.

Bloom time: Mid-summer to fall

Color: Blue

General attributes: Peachie’s Pick is a long blooming and very adaptable selection of the already excellent stoke’s aster. Smooth gray-green, semi-evergreen leaves in rosettes give rise to upright flower stalks with spiny buds. The buds open to reveal large, frilly blue flowers over a very extended season.

More information: Check out the American Horticultural Society’s “A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants” or www.mobot.org/GARDENINGHELP/ PLANTFINDER/Plant.asp?Code=B866

– Mark Weathington

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Mark Weathington, who has a master’s degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, is director of horticulture at Norfolk Botanical Garden. For questions on this feature, contact him at mark.weathington@nbgs.org or write to him at Gracious Living, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, VA 23510; fax: (757) 446-2963. Look for featured plants at area garden centers or in catalogs.

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