Stokesia laevis 'Divinity'

Stoke’s aster is a genus of just this one species. I fell in love with this charming perennial the first time I laid my eyes on it when I first saw it at Plantarium exhibition in Boskoop, the Netherlands, where it was presented as a little known, showy perennial.

Divinity is a chance seedling of Stoke’s aster found by Paul David Babikow in his nursery In Florida, USA, in 2009. Looking at its divine flowers it makes sense why it was named that way. They are truly stunning with their diameter of 8-10 cm and almost white colour (with just a tiny flush of blue). They open from late July, and if regularly deadheaded they continue popping up until autumn. They take a few days before they mature completely to the flat shape but on the other hand they are quite long-lasting which is why they are very popular for cutting.

It makes rather compact and well-branched clumps with only about 30-40 cm tall stems. Leaves are evergreen in milder climates, medium green, broadly lance-shaped, long at the basal rosette, and quite short along the stems. Divinity Stoke’s aster was granted a US patent PP26164 in 2015.

Stoke’s aster comes from S.E. USA where it grows naturally on the edges of conifer woods, in moist, acid soil. It is hardy enough to be grown in Europe, too, down to zone 5b provided the soil is sharply-drained in order to avoid winter root rot. Grow it in full sun for profusion of flowers and make sure the soil is acid which will enhance the flower colour. Hardiness confirmed so far to -24 °C (USDA zone 6) and it should even withstand -29 °C.

Last update 26-07-2021