Flowering Raspberry vs Smooth Aster

Smooth Aster is a native perennial wildflower known for its violet-blue, daisy-like flowers. They bloom later in the season, from late summer to early fall. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. It also serves as a host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) and Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterflies, further enhancing its ecological value. This easy-to-grow wildflower is well suited for native wildflower gardens, pollinator gardens, and naturalization projects.

The Smooth Aster’s non-aggressive root system allows it to spread slowly, and it is more likely to reproduce by seed, which can be controlled through deadheading.

The Flowering Raspberry is an ornamental shrubby plant that blooms with fragrant light purple flowers throughout the summer and has a large, decorative foliage of bright green leaves. The flowers resemble that of a wildrose, and the foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall. This cultivar produces small red raspberries, similar to that of a thimbleberry, but the fruit is mostly tasteless.

The Flowering Raspberry, also known as Virginia Raspberry or Purple-Flowered Raspberry, makes a great hedge plant and is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Compare Smooth Aster with

Compare Flowering Raspberry with