How to Grow Erigeron Plants in your Garden

Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Fleabane

Erigeron plants are hardy or half hardy perennials. They are native to Northern America.

Depending on the species of Erigeron being grown, they may flower from the start of summer through to the beginning of autumn.

Erigeron linearis
Erigeron linearis by Matt Lavin.

They bear daisy like flowers of many colours, including orange, pink, white, purple, and yellow.

They grow in height from 10 to 90 cm (4 to 36 inches). This makes them great to use as edging plants or in the border. A common name for Erigeron is Fleabane.

Commonly Grown Erigeron Species Photographs and Plant Identification

Erigeron canadensis

Erigeron canadensis syn. Conyza canadensis.

Erigeron canadensis
Erigeron canadensis (Horseweed / Canadian Fleabane / Coltstail / Butterweed), photograph by Val Def; CC.

Erigeron annuus

Erigeron annuus syn. Aster annuus.

Erigeron annuus
Erigeron annuus (Annual Fleabane / Daisy fleabane / Eastern Daisy Fleabane), photograph by Andreas Rockstein; CC.

Erigeron karvinskianus

Erigeron karvinskianus
Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Fleabane / Santa Barbara Daisy / Karwinsky's Fleabane), picture by Forest and Kim Starr; CC.

Erigeron Growing Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Fleabane
Life Cycle: Hardy perennial. Half hardy perennial. Biennial. Annual.
Height: 4 to 36 inches (10 to 90 cm).
Native: Northern America.
Family: Asteraceae.

Growing Region: Zones 2 to 9.
Flowers: Summer and/or early autumn.
Flower Details: White, purple, pink, lavender, yellow, orange. Daisy-like ray and disc florets. Narrow petals.
Foliage: Herbaceous. Narrow. Thread-like. Oblanceolate. Oval. Hairy. Green.

Sow Outside: Surface. Start of spring or autumn. Spacing 9 to 18 inches (23 to 45 cm).
Sow Inside: Germination time: two weeks to two months. Temperature: 55°F (13°C). Nine or ten weeks in advance. Transplant outdoors before the last frost or in the first month of autumn.

Requirements and care: Full sunlight or slight shade. Good drainage. Ordinary soil. Occasional light feed. Deadhead. Stems should be cut back to the ground in autumn. Divide every three years to maintain vigour. Propagate: by dividing in the spring in cooler areas or the beginning of autumn elsewhere.
Miscellaneous: May be weedy and invasive. Many species of moths and butterflies feed exclusively on Erigeron.

How to Grow Fleabane and other Erigeron Plants in the Garden

It is best to sow Fleabane seeds on the surface in either early spring or early autumn. Erigeron like to grow in a sunny or partially shaded area of the garden that has good drainage.

If you prefer you can start growing Fleabane indoors then they should be prepared about 8 weeks before they are due to be put out at the beginning of spring before the last frost, or at the beginning of autumn.

Caring for Erigeron plant species in the garden

Erigeron plant species such as Fleabane are quite easy to maintain; they should be deadheaded once flowering has occurred and cut back to ground level in the autumn.

They will require a light feed, and should be divided every three years to maintain vigorous growth. If you require more plants then they can be divided in the spring or autumn.

I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Erigeron plants. You may also enjoy my other Aster family gardening guides, on how to grow Palm Springs Daisy, Xeranthemum, and Dahlia plants.