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Asters, mums, and goldenrod rightfully get a lot of the attention, but they are far from the only fall-blooming perennial flower to be celebrated in fall gardens. One that I’m particularly fond of that doesn’t get a whole lot of recognition is Conoclinium coelestinum, Blue Mistflower. A native perennial wildflower found throughout the East Coast from Canada to Georgia, Blue Mistflower has a long bloom period, starting in mid- to late summer and lasting until the first hard frost of fall. While not part of the Aster genus Symphyotrichum, it is part of the Asteraceae, or Daisy, family, and thus shares some similarities with true asters. Mistflowers’ blooms are not the classic daisy shape one might expect from this family of plants, rather, the individual blooms are a fuzzy flat disc lacking the rays of a daisy. Flowers are a light shade of blue – baby blue, Carolina blue, sky blue, call it whichever you wish. This plant is sometimes called hardy ageratum, due to the visual similarity of its flowers to the annual ageratum. 
This native wildflower spreads by both rhizome and seed, and can become somewhat weedy if left unchecked. We have it growing in the Pitt County Arboretum in both the Butterfly Garden and Wildflower Garden, and with some occasional thinning it is relatively well-behaved. It is typically found growing along roadsides and in moist ditch banks, which shows the range of tolerance it has for different levels of soil moisture. It will tolerate a bit of shade, but flowers best in full sun. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators enjoy the nectar-rich flowers and this plant is often included in pollinator-themed gardens for that reason. If you are growing blue mistflower in hopes of supporting pollinators, you may have better results in average to moist soils rather than dry ones. Plants will grow 18-36 inches tall and wide.
Gardeners may occasionally encounter another species of mistflower, Conoclinium greggii, which is quite similar in a number of ways from size to flower color. This species is native to the Southeastern United States. As you might expect based on that fact it is slightly less cold hardy, C. greggii will still likely function as a perennial in Eastern NC, but C. coelestinum is a better choice for our gardens under most circumstances. Both species are relatively pest free, with the only real problems of note being an occasional minor infestation of aphids or powdery mildew. It’s a great plant to add late season color in pollinator gardens, native plant collections, water gardens, or natural areas. Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.
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It’s not often that a single bloom on one plant in a garden becomes a newsworthy event; however, there is one notable exception that seems to pop up once in a while. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Corpse Flower, or titan arum, a unique plant native to Southeast Asia known for both the enormous size of its singular flower and the incredible pungency produced by that bloom. Corpse Flower, known botanically as Amorphophallus titanium, is the kind of plant you typically only see in botanical gardens, arboreta, university greenhouses, or other public-garden spaces. Any garden that has a corpse flower is happy to show it off on the rare occasion of its bloom, which may only happen once every 7 to 10 years, and last for as little as 36 hours. Long lines of people will wait for a chance to see and smell this rare flower that is as large or larger than they are, and some watch on live internet streams as the gigantic blossom slowly opens. This is not the type of plant that an average, or even above-average gardener can grow in their backyard for a few reasons. First, this plant is not cold hardy in our area. Secondly, it needs pretty meticulous and specialized care to survive and thrive. There are, however, more accessible Amorphophallus relatives that offer some of the same interesting characteristics and conversation-starting curiosity. You might be reading this and silently asking yourself why you would want a stinky flower in your yard. You may not, but not all gardeners like solely the knock-your-socks off, traditionally pretty plants. Some of us like the weird stuff, too. Maybe you’re always looking for the next unusual plant to add to the garden, or perhaps you are a Halloween enthusiast and want something ‘spooky’ to plant this fall. This could be just what you’re looking for.
top. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY 4.0 Top right: Flower, close up. The central, phallic-like stalk is called a spadix. Photo: J. Celinski Bottom left: The stem has an intricate snakelike pattern. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Bottom right: Berries from the pollinated flowers ripen from bright pink to blue. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY 4.0 Amorphophallus kiusianis, known as Voodoo Lily, is sort of like a miniature version of the corpse flower, growing 2-4 tall and 1-3 feet wide. It produces a similar vase-shaped inflorescence called a spath, with a central phallic-like stalk called a spadix. The flowers are purplish-brown, with some white in pink buried inside, and while they are not as powerful as the larger Amorphophallus, the Voodoo Lily shares the same type of unpleasant odor. However, the blooms only last about a day. The foliage is actually quite attractive, with a long, slender petiole that emerges from the ground, spotted in a snakeskin-like pattern, with an umbrella-like leaf that unfolds at the top. If you’ve got a shady area and are bored with hosta, ferns, and Solomon’s seal (all great plants, don’t get me wrong), Voodoo Lily is something different that you can mix in to keep things interesting.
Voodoo Lily grows from a corm, an underground bulb-like growth structure. They are hardy and can be kept outdoors overwinter under the right conditions, but the corms can also be dug up and stored indoors and replanted the following spring. Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705. Hot on the heels of the fragrant Tea Olive, the last featured plant, is another sweet-smelling fall bloomer, the Ginger Lily. Known botanically as Hedychium coronarium, Ginger lily is a tropical herbaceous perennial in the ginger family. Unlike its culinary relative Zingiber officinale, Ginger lily is grown primarily for its aesthetic characteristics in the landscape rather than its edible value. Ginger lily typically grows to a height of 3-6 feet tall, with a width of 2-3 feet. Its lush foliage generates a tropical vibe in gardens where it is planted, and thus it pairs well with plants such as cannas, hardy bananas, and elephant ears. Ginger lilies do best when planted in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to dappled shade. Leaves are long and slender, and are arranged alternately on long thick stalks. Each stem almost resembles a corn stalk, and the sum total of multiple stems growing together in a clump produces a plant that it is roughly the size of a medium shrub, though composed of entirely herbaceous, non-woody parts. 
In late summer through fall, ginger lilies begin to bloom, and it is during this time that they really draw the attention of gardeners. The individual florets emerge from a florescent spike, gradually opening from the bottom to the top, over a period of several weeks to several months. The individual floret may only last a day or two, but flowering continues with new florets emerging continuously through the bloom period. Flowers are attractive; they are both colorful and uniquely shaped. Standard bloom color is white, but many cultivars have colors ranging from yellow, to orange, pink, and red. Ginger lily is sometimes referred to as butterfly ginger, a reference to the flowers, which resemble a butterfly with its wings spread. In addition to their visual impact, ginger lilies are powerfully fragrant, producing a sweet, floral aroma frequently described as heavenly. Though not typically grown for its culinary properties, the rhizomes are edible, and spicy, just like its cousin Zingiber, and can be used similarly in the kitchen. Ginger lilies can tolerate a bit of extra moisture on occasion during the warmer months of spring and summer, but dislike being wet during the colder months of the year, a characteristic shared with many other plants that grown from bulbs, rhizomes, or tubers, including the aforementioned elephant ear. They are perennial plants, hardy to zone 7a. However, if you can’t ensure an adequately drained soil during the winter, tubers can be dug up and stored indoors before being set in the ground outdoors the following spring. If doing so, store surrounded by a loose covering of peat or vermiculite in a cool, dark, and dry location. Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705. I enjoy my job for many reasons. Each day is a little different. I am always learning new things and get to share that knowledge with others, and the satisfaction of helping others by answering their questions or assisting them in their quest to solve a problem is tremendously gratifying. Yet on some days, the reason why I love my job is much simpler. For the past three weeks or so, one of the best things about my job is the scent I inhale, each and every time I walk in and out of my door. The plant responsible for this delightfully sweet aroma is one I’ve written about before, and though I try not to repeat myself in this column, I’m just going to have to break that rule this week. It’s not just me. We’ve had a number of visitors to the building come inside or corral staff members outside to ask which plant is responsible for the fragrance. The plant in question is Osmanthus fragrans, commonly known as Fragrant Tea Olive or Sweet Osmanthus. Now, normally when a plant stops you in your tracks or inspires such wonder, it’s due to something visual- jaw-droppingly beautiful flowers, strange or unique foliage, or some other aesthetic trait. Osmanthus, however, is one of the most average, non-descript shrubs we use in our landscapes. It’s a broadleaf evergreen with slightly glossy leaves that would be hard for the average gardener to distinguish from at least half a dozen other shrubs that share similar traits. Even the flowers are barely noticeable, visually, as the individual blooms are each less than an inch wide and tucked into the leaf axils on interior branches. That is not to say it’s an unattractive plant. It’s perfectly fine in its averageness. It is, however, the kind of plant you barely notice until someone points out to you that it is responsible for the glorious aroma you’ve been trying to identify.
So how do you use a plant like Osmanthus in the landscape? As a dense broadleaf evergreen, it can be used as a tall hedge or screen in the same way plants like ligustrum, many hollies, and eleagnus often are. It can be used at the back of a perennial or mixed border garden, where it allows shorter, showier plants in front of it to shine when they are in bloom, but contributes the sensory element of fragrance when it blooms first in spring and then again in fall.
It’s important to note that there are several types of osmanthus and not all have the same scent we associate with Osmanthus fragrans. Osmanthus heterophyllus, which is a plant with sharp spiny leaves that many people mistake for a holly, has no substantial fragrance, though it is arguably more attractive than Osmanthus fragrans. If you’re searching the nursery for that overlooked plant with the fantastic smell, make sure you go home with the right Osmanthus! Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705. |
Matt Stevens
Pitt County Extension Director & Horticulture Agent Archives
November 2025
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