perennial
White wood aster
Eurybia divaricata
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
White wood aster is a perennial hardy in zones 3–8. Expect 1–2 ft of height and 1.5–2 ft of spread; our lists space it 1.5 ft apart. It does best in part sun to shade with little water once established. Expect white flowers in August to October. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Midwest. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Eurybia divaricata
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Tolerates dry shade and root competition.
- Mature size
- 1–2 ft tall × 1.5–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Aug–Oct · white
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$16 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly the first summer; after that it copes with dry shade under trees.
- Pruning
- Cut down in late winter; it self-sows gently.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as White wood aster, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoidesfern · zones 3–9
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliaperennial · zones 3–8
- Northern bush honeysuckleDiervilla lonicerashrub · zones 3–7
- Oregon grape 'Compacta'Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta'shrub · zones 5–9
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for White wood aster: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoideszones 3–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliazones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Coral bells 'Firefly'Heuchera sanguinea 'Firefly'zones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Barrenwort 'Sulphureum'Epimedium × versicolor 'Sulphureum'zones 5–8 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants