Skip Mums This Fall: The Native Plant With Pretty Purple Flowers For Your Raised Garden Beds

When it comes to flowers, nothing says fall like a gorgeous pot of mums (Chrysanthemum). Unless of course you're a native plant gardener, and then you might have your sights set on a different floral display. Whatever type of growing approach you take, when you're looking for a gorgeous perennial that will start blooming towards the end of summer and carry on as the weather cools, asters won't let you down. No matter how much you love those big colorful pots of Chrysanthemums, smooth aster 'Bluebird' (Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve 'Bluebird') will make you want to skip mums for your raised garden beds.

When you grow 'Bluebird' in a raised bed, you can keep these perennials blooming longer – growing them in the richly amended, deep soil of a raised garden bed will extend your growing season. Most mums get treated as annuals, but 'Bluebird' is a perennial that you can plant for bright fall flowers year after year. They have vibrant appeal, making them a stunning alternative to mums – with mounds of colorful, blueish-purple blooms. Plus, when you grow this deer- and rabbit-resistant flower in a mass planting, it will be a total showstopper. Compared to some garden mums, these low-maintenance perennials can grow much bigger, reaching up to 4 feet tall.

'Bluebird' is one of the low-maintenance perennials that thrive in raised beds if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8. If you're building a raised garden bed specifically to add fall flowers, place the bed in full sun or part sun for this perennial to flourish. These gorgeous autumn-blooming plants aren't picky about soil, they can grow in many different conditions, and are even drought tolerant. Plus, pests leave them alone, and they aren't prone to picking up plant diseases. As low-maintenance plants, there isn't much work that goes into growing and taking care of asters.

Smooth aster is a member of the daisy family that is native to much of North America where it is wildly popular with bees and butterflies. If you are a hardcore native plant enthusiast who is avoiding cultivated varieties of native plants since they aren't as beneficial to pollinators, don't fret. 'Bluebird' is a natural occurring variety of smooth aster that is loved for its nice, upright growth that enhances any space.