What’s in Bloom

Lady in Black Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Lady in Black’)

The Lady in Black Aster typically grows up to three feet tall in a mounded form with dusky purple foliage.  This Aster bears many tiny white flowers with rosy eyes, and does well in most soil conditions with an average amount of sunlight. It is recommended to pinch back these plants in the early summer to promote better branching and flowering. See our Ladies in Black in bloom in the Fort Point Channel Parks just south of Pearl Street.

Lady in Black Aster

Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis)

Cockspur Hawthorns are bearing clusters of fleshy red fruit in the Wharf District Parks. The Cockspur Hawthorn is a medium-sized deciduous tree that produces small white flowers in the spring and red pome fruit in the fall. Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis is a variety of Cockspur Hawthorne similar to the straight species with bright red fruit but without thorns.

Cockspur Hawthorn

Purple-stemmed Aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum)

The Purple-stemmed Aster is another native Aster that can be seen blooming throughout the Wharf District Parks. It typically (but not always) has reddish or purplish hairy branching stems. The word ‘Aster’ comes from the Greek language, meaning ‘a star’, to describe Symphyotrichum’s disc flowers. Purple-stemmed Asters bear clusters of disc flowers which are light purple to blue with a yellow center.

Purple-stemmed Aster