Growing Stokesia / Stokes Aster
for Northeast Florida Landscapes
( Stokesia Laevis)
Stokesia laevis / Stokes
Aster is a wonderful Florida native perennial
heirloom plant that deserves much more garden space than it gets! I think I will never forget
the first time I ran into these beauties at a customers home, she had been dividing them for many years and planting them as a border along her driveways and walkways etc. They were in full bloom and I had never seen them before, when she began to talk about how hardy they were with such little care as she gave them I could not understand how none of my suppliers were growing this plant! So I set out to find seeds and young starter plants of Stokesia and have been grabbing and trying every cultivar I can find ever since. To this day they are a favorite among my perennial plantings for Northeast Florida and have thrived in both Jacksonville and St. Augustine area gardens for years.
Stokesia Laevis / Stokes Aster foliage makes a nice tidy mound of thick green leaves that, here in our Northeast Florida garden, will remain evergreen during the winter and bloom each year starting in May. The large 3 inch wide blooms come in a range of colors from white to a beautiful creamy yellow to shades of pink, lavender blue and purples. Stokes aster bloom stalks can be cut and brought inside for a long lasting bouquet!
Butterfly attracting / Drought tolerant / evergreen hardy perennial / deer and rabbit resistant / good cut flower….What more could you ask for in a plant? If you are looking for an easy care flowering plant for Northeast Florida, Jacksonville or St. Augustine area landscape, give one of these beautiful Stokesia varieties a try, you will be glad you did!
Stokesias can be both hard to find, and hard to keep in stock, these are the selections that we have grown and will continue to grow when they are available here at S & J Nursery, but just a word of warning, you have to get them when you see them, they go quick each year as soon as they bloom!
Stokesia Klaus Jelitto
A beautiful Stokes Aster with light lavender blue blooms in summer.
Stokesia ‘White Surprise’ / Stokes Aster ‘White Surprise’
Currently out of stock and unable to find seed source or plant starts for this one for the last few years.
One of my personal favorite Stokes aster selections, large white
blooms born in profusion during summer.
Stokesia Good – N- Purple
Have not seen this one in a while, still hoping to see it avialable again to grow a new crop.
Stunning deep purple blooms with a bright white center. Very showy
in the landscape!
Stokesia Laevis Blue
Pretty soft lavender tinged blue flowers in abundance!
Stokesia Purple Parasols
Large bright purple blooms in clusters
Stokesia Mary Gregory Yellow
another one that is hard to find, still looking for more.
Large soft buttery yellow blooms perfect for cut
flowers!