How to Grow Stokes Aster From Seed

Stokes' aster is the common name for Stokesia laevis, a perennial species of wildflower native to the southeastern United States. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant for its bluish-green foliage and frilly flowers, which come in shades of violet, white and pink. Stokes' aster plants grow well from seeds if the seeds are cold-stratified for six weeks before planting, and though they are slow to germinate, the plants mature and bloom in their first year.

Sphagnum moss
Bowl
Plastic bag
Acidic compost
Coarse sand
Cultivating fork
Garden hose

Instructions

- 1
  Soak 3 cups of sphagnum moss in a bowl of cold water for one hour. Remove the sphagnum moss from the bowl and wring out the excess liquid.
- 2
  Wrap the sphagnum moss around your Stokes' aster seeds. Place the moss inside a zip-close plastic bag. Store the bag in a refrigerator for six weeks to cold stratify the seeds.
- 3
  Prepare a bed outdoors once the Stokes' aster seeds have been cold-stratified. Work a 3-inch-thick layer of acidic compost and a 1-inch-thick layer of coarse sand into the bed, using a cultivating fork to loosen the soil and improve drainage.
- 4
  Sow the Stokes' aster seeds in groups of three, 10 inches apart and 1/2 inch deep. Water the bed with a garden hose after sowing the seeds to settle the soil around them.
- 5
  Water the bed whenever the soil feels dry in the top half-inch. Do not let the soil dry out completely before the Stokes' aster seeds germinate since it will retard their development.
- 6
  Watch for sprouting two weeks after soil temperatures top 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Thin each group of Stokes' aster seedlings to one every 10 inches.

How to Grow Hibiscus to Dry for Tea

How to Heal a Wilted Flower

Growing Flowers