White Wood Aster

Eurybia divaricata

White wood aster is the fall answer for dry, shaded spaces where almost nothing else will bloom. It emerges from dark, wiry stems -- often nearly black -- that zigzag in a distinctive pattern, giving the plant an architectural quality even before the small white flowers with yellow centers open in September and October. The flowers cover the plant in a loose, airy spray that lights up dark corners of the woodland garden when everything else is fading. This is one of the most shade- and drought-tolerant native perennials that actually blooms in fall. It spreads steadily by rhizome to form a colony under trees and adapts to dry shade conditions that even hostas struggle with. Chickadees and small sparrows pick through the seed heads through winter. An essential plant for making the fall woodland garden feel alive.