Totally Stoked™ Whitecaps Stokes' Aster

Whitecaps flowers pure white with a fluffy fringed shape, which is rare in a summer perennial that also handles real heat. This Proven Winners® selection, Stokesia laevis Totally Stoked Whitecaps, grows 24 to 26 inches tall and spreads 32 to 36 inches in full sun, hardy from Zone 5 through Zone 9.

Bloom comes in midsummer, and the flowers are large and shaggy rather than daisy-shaped, held above the foliage on sturdy stems. Deadheading extends the display. They cut well and hold in a vase.

The foliage is strap-shaped and evergreen through winter in the milder parts of the range, forming a low rosette that stays tidy after the flowers finish. The habit is dense and low-growing rather than open.

Stokes' aster is a southeastern native, and heat tolerance is where it earns its place: it keeps flowering through humid summers that flatten other perennials. Well-drained soil matters more than anything else, since winter wet is the usual cause of failure. It handles drought and moderate road salt once established, and deer leave it alone.