Native to bogs, streamsides, wet meadows and moist mountain soils from the Rockies to the Coastal Range, wandering fleabane is also called subalpine fleabane, coastal fleabane, and mountain daisy. It is a herbaceous perennial in the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes sunflower, yarrow, and lettuce. Plants grow from 8-28″ tall and spread by rhizomes to form dense colonies. They have lanceolate to spoon-shaped leaves and unbranched stems that bear one to several flower heads 1-2″ across and comprised of 30 to 80 blue, pink, or white ray flowers surrounding yellow disc flowers. The genus name, Erigeron, comes from the Greek words ἦρι (êri) meaning early referring to the early bloom time, and γέρων (gérōn) meaning old man, referring to the hairy appearance of the fruit that resembles the beard of an old man. The specific epithet, peregrinus, is the Latin word for foreign.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: Flowerheads of 30-80 blue, pink, or white ray flowers around yellow disc flowers in summer
Size: 8-28″ H x
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, moist
Hardiness: Zones 3-8
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Seed, division
Companion Plants: Larkspur, Jacob’s ladder, fireweed
Photo Credit: Walter Siegmund, Wikipedia