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Symphyotrichum lateriflorum 'Lady in Black' |
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| Synonym(s) |
Aster lateriflorus |
| Common name |
Michaelmas daisy |
| Family |
asteraceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z5-9) |
| Flowers |
white/pink (Sept-Oct) |
| Size |
4' |
| Light |
sun |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
Through most of the season, this aster forms a rather unassuming clump of dark-green foliage. In late summer, the plant stretches out, and sets lots of buds. But it isn't until several weeks later, starting early fall, that the buds finally open to reveal masses of small pink-centered white daisies. After just hanging on through several years on the back yard island hill, our specimen was moved to a more cultivated spot on the other end of the back yard island, where it promptly ballooned to its full potential.
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| | Coming up strong in mid-May. For some reason, it reminds me of a dark imp |
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This plant used to grow in our garden, but it slipped away... About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Symphyotrichum lateriflorum 'Lady in Black'
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Theresa | May 26, 2005 | You say Lady In Black is hardy to zone 4 ??? That is the only reason I havn't bought it.I was told and also read somewhere it wasn't hardy here in a zone 4.I think I will go ahead and try it here in a sheltered spot. What zone do you live in ???
sorry, I think my page was wrong. I've updated it to zone 5. |
| flower mom | Jul 21, 2005 | I live in Saskatchewan which is Zone 3 and I have had a Aster lateriflorus for 2 years now. We recently moved to another home 10 minutes away and I took this plant with me (now it's second year) and it seems to be doing well. It is still fairly small (8 inches or so) and hasn't flowered yet but I'm anticipating a beautiful plant. Hope this encourages some readers. |
| Shannon | Sep 29, 2005 | I bought this Lady in black, in the spring to my flowerless yard.. My first year of getting into bushes.. flowers.. when i purchased it, I didnt even keep the name, I just wanted to fill in my yard.. to my amazement.. I watched this bush take on a life of its own.. and now, in September it still amazes me.. I had to cut off a stem to take it to the florist.. and found out I have a remarkable Lady in Black.. Its stunning... |
| Julie | Mar 11, 2006 | I bought this plant not knowing what to expect. I have to say it is now one of my favorites. I would like to know how to care for it. Do I need to trim it back or just leave it alone?
Assuming you're in a climate where the plant dies back in winter, you'll have to cut it down sometime between late autumn and early spring, to make room for the new growth to come in. I leave it till spring, because I like having some structure in the garden through winter. |
| Sue | Jun 27, 2006 | I live in zone 6. A friend of mine gave me a division of her lady in black in May which I promptly planted. It has not grown much since then. I was just visiting this same friend last week and noticed her lady in black had lost all its lower leaves and looks quite unattractive. She said this typically happens. I was a bit discouraged to see this because I had high hopes for this plant. Do you know if this is typical or what could cause this to happen and how quickly does this plant grow in a season? Thank you.
Sue, I've not noticed this on my plant - it stays full throughout summer. Of course, I do have other plants around it, so a bit of leaf drop might go unnoticed. |
| Ish | Oct 23, 2006 | I live in zone 6 and planted my lady in black in mid Oct. How do I prepare plant for the winter? It looks like the plant is starting to die back. This is definitely one of my favorite plants. Thanks
The plant is plenty hardy - but its roots will not have established sufficiently by winter to firmly anchor it in the soil. I'd lop the top growth off once it dies back completely, and mulch around the plant to prevent too much soil heaving. It should have no trouble getting through winter. |
| George | May 31, 2008 | I'm viewing your site to find out what Lady in Black looks like when blooming. I just bought one in Laraysville, PA, but it didn't have a picture. I have other wild aster growing in my garden and I thought this might make a beautiful addition. |
| Sue2 | Feb 26, 2009 | I bought 3 small plants last June and while it started out slow, it spread quite large and bloomed floriferously in early October in zone 5. I love it and the bees LOVE it too! I enjoyed sitting quietly by the plants, and listening to the buzzing of all the bees pollinating the flowers. |
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