Totally Stoked™ Whitecaps Stoke's 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.