Looking great in the garden now is Stokesia laevis ‘Peachie’s Pick’. This incredible selection of our native Stokes aster was discovered as a seedling in the Mississippi garden of gardener/floral designer, Sara “Peachie” Saxon, and in 2001, it was introduced to the commercial trade by the former Niche Gardens of North Carolina. Stokes aster is a monotypic genus (only 1 species worldwide) bog native, that naturally ranges from NC west to Louisiana. Despite this southern home, it’s winter hardy north to Zone 5a, and south to Zone 9b.
Prior to it’s introduction, most commercial forms of stokesia were short 1′ tall plants with lax flower spikes. In 1997, Atlanta Botanic Garden native plant guru, Ron Determann introduced his find of the first upright growing Stokes aster he named Stokesia ‘Omega Skyrocket’. The only drawback of this 3′ tall form was that it lodged while in bloom, limiting it’s garden value. Stokesia ‘Peachie’s Pick’, which appeared on the market four years later, was the dream plant that gardeners and landscape designers had dreamed about. Today, 24 years after its initial introduction, it’s hard to find a single fault with this amazing selection. It’s growth is compact, dense, well-branching, and at 2′ tall, shows absolutely no sign of falling apart when in flower. There’s no question it would go in my top 25 perennial introductions of the last quarter century.
Despite being a bog native, Stokes aster grows fine in regular garden soil, where it thrives in all but the worst extended droughts. For us, the floral show begins in late June, and continues into early July. During this time, you’ll most likely notice a parade of tiger swallowtail butterflies, stopping by to sip the nectar. Below is a photo of a patch in our garden this week.
Two questions. First. Would deadheading Stokes’ aster ‘Peachie’s Pick’ extend its blooming season? Second. Can you confirm that the flowering season for ‘Peachie’s Pick’ is just a few weeks from late June to early July? Asking because that is what the last paragraph implies … “the floral show begins in late June, and continues into early July”.
I live in zone 7b/8a North Carolina. Thank you.
We typically have it flower for about 3 weeks. I don’t recall trying to cut them back to extend flowering, but it certainly would be worth a try.