Mine always bloom in the spring. The leaves begin to look rather sorry by the time fall comes. The new growth is coming in well now.

I think that you may be right about the mild winter. It's doing weird things in a lot of places. I even saw a Flowering Peach (Plum?) blooming last week. that's waaaayyy to soon.
PB

Hmmmmmmm.........I've got them all over my property, but they're not blooming. They are making new growth, though, so blooms might soon follow.
I just love stokes asters, they're SO easy to grow!
Sherry

I have had no luck with asters. They show new growth...but by the time they are going to bloom the bottom part has all turned dark and looks bad. They bloom earlier than fall also. I think it must be the southern humidity..

Mine usually bloom in May or June. I have several planted. They like full sun and good drainage. They like a lot of water but need to drain okay. Most of mine have done very well and have spread. The few that I have lost have been in a location that stayed too wet. Plant them where lantana or verbena or gaura would do well. They do need to be watered when they wilt, especially when blooming.

Ours bloom in May and through June. Never had them bloom in the fall.

Stoke's Aster is a spring/summer blooming member of the Aster Family. It is a southeastern native plant, but is said to be hardy in Zone 5. They are found in both dry and wet locations and are considered drought tolerant. Check the link for detailed information and a number of photos.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stoke's Aster

I thought mine were goners when there were no blooms this year, but just today I saw several buds. Seems very very late to me.

Yep, mine always bloom in the spring/summer. I've just deadheaded all mine and found 3 or 4 new blooms down on the new growth. Don't usually see additional blooms this late in the season.

Mine are spring bloomers, but deadheading can extend that pretty far into the summer. I get a few flowers in fall sometimes. This is one of my favorite species!