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Since 1973 Painters Greenhouse has supplied Western North Carolina with high-quality, locally grown plants. Located just off the beaten path our seasonal family-owned greenhouse is known for its focus on native and pollinator plants, mature houseplants, and wide selection. Grown Locally to Thrive Locally Home: Welcome and Newsletter Signup Opening soon! 2026 FALL SEASON September 9 - October 11 SIGN UP FOR THE PAINTERS NEWSLETTER Subscribe to our newsletter! CLICK HERE TO GET THE DIRT NEW THIS WEEK Fall at the Greenhouse View More New This Week Your Seasonal Guide & Plant Finder You are Invited! View More New This Week Open Invitation to all our Painters' Customers The Purple Spike Pollinators Can’t Resist View More New This Week 'Kobold' Blazing Star MORE WEEKLY NEWS GROWN LOCALLY TO THRIVE LOCALLY For 49 years our family business has supplied WNC with high quality plants. We grow more than 90% of our plants on site. Our goal is to provide plants grown with intention and sustainability for our community. LEARN MORE GROWN LOCALLY TO THRIVE LOCALLY For over 50 years, our family business has supplied WNC with high-quality plants—growing more than 90% of them right here on-site. Our goal is simple: to offer plants grown with intention, sustainability, and deep care for our community. READ MORE A FOCUS ON NATIVES Planting native is a wonderful way to support a biodiverse ecosystem in your backyard — from the bottom to the top of the food chain. We're proud to offer one of the largest selections of homegrown native plants in WNC! LEARN MORE WHAT WE GROW Described as a paradise for plant lovers, we have over 100,000 sq. ft. of growing and retail space and cultivate over 1,000 species on site. We grow our plants with care and intention and sell direct to our faithful retail customers. Our plants are inspected and watered by hand and don't suffer shipping damage or transport from another climate. We are widely known for our focus on natives and pollinator plants, our vast selection of perennials (over 900 varieties), our giant Boston Ferns, and our lush houseplant offerings. PLANT LISTS FROM OUR BLOG Will the Real New England Aster Please Stand Up? Where to Go From Here: A Streambank Restoration Toolbox Not Just a Looker! The Many Benefits of the American Beautyberry MORE FROM OUR BLOG Follow Us on Social Media @PaintersGreenhouse WHAT PEOPLE SAY Dana C. Painters is a treasure! Their staff and owners are fantastic! Their plant selection is enormous and it's clear they take deep pride in what they do. Barb S. I have never been to Painter's and NOT been thrilled! Even this early in the season the selection was amazing, and as always, the staff was friendly and very helpful. Left with a car full of treasures! Britt T. Best greenhouse around WNC. Helpful employees, great selection and prices. A must visit

NEWS & EVENTS Fall at the Greenhouse Your Seasonal Guide & Plant Finder You are Invited! Open Invitation to all our Painters' Customers The Purple Spike Pollinators Can’t Resist 'Kobold' Blazing Star BioCHAR for Your Plants AND the Planet! Locally Made and Now For Sale at Painters Pollinator Plant Spotlight Late Figwort 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ... 19 2026 Customer Appreciation Party Learn more Old Fort Beautification Committee Fall Plant Drive Buy Tickets

Your Seasonal Guide & Plant Finder New This Week August 31, 2026 Fall at the Greenhouse Your Seasonal Guide & Plant Finder We all meet here for different reasons. You might be a chef looking to add some edible fruits to your landscape for future harvests. Or, brand new to gardening, you'd like to try your hand at some green veg and herbs on the deck. Perhaps your home is needing a bit of houseplant foliage to zhuzh it up. Or maybe you want big full evergreens to block out an ugly shed or ugly neighbors! (just kidding?). Whatever you are looking for, check out these links to find your plants: Growing Food: Blueberry pollination chart If you are planning a fall vegetable patch, boosting some beds with herbs, or putting in a whole darn orchard, check out our Edibles Page on the website for a full list of our fall selections of herbs, veggies, and fruits. Including pollination charts for fruiting trees and shrubs. We're especially exited about the new Tea Plant we have for you this fall! Check it out. Plants with a Purpose: i.e. this list for rain gardens & wet feet Maybe you need trees and shrubs for privacy screens . Or maybe you want to establish a rain garden . Or you are looking to plant for erosion control . Or groundcover . Or more! Check out our Painters Lists on our Resources Page. These categorized lists of Painters recommendations are a great way to get you started. [Suggestions welcome. We are always adding more according to the questions we get!] Seeking something specific? Our Fall Plant Lists are ready for your garden planning! (As always, subject to the whims of nature or rival shoppers...) Annual & Perennial Growing List Tree & Shrub Availability List Houseplants and Succulents Identifying Natives: Red for Straight Species Native, Maroon for Nativar If you would like to add native plants and nativars to your landscape to support wildlife and local ecosystems, find Natives on our Growing and Availability Lists by subdepartment or by searching "native" in the search bar at the top. When you are shopping in person at Painters, native plants are easily distinguished by the bright red signs. Cultivars of native plants, called nativars , have a darker maroon signage. Planting Trees and Shrubs: Fall is an amazing time to plant shrubs and trees . Moderating temperatures and increased rainfall gives your plants a strong start for healthy growth next spring. Give your plants their best foot forward by following our planting guide. [Click photo for a downloadable pdf.] Houseplants: Plants to fill your home with green. Come winter, you’ll wish you did! We have a full new stock for all plant parent levels. Click through for a tiny preview: Pottery, Tools, Art, Garden Gifts & More: Fall into gardening at Painters! Whether you're adding fresh touch-ups to your home garden or shopping for a thoughtful gift for a fellow green thumb, you'll find charming pottery, original art, quality supplies, and autumn surprises around every corner. Fall Favorites: And of course there will be flowers! Annual mums. Perennial blooms. Bulbs. And grasses. And vines. And groundcovers. And so much more! Sign up for the newsletter to get info on weekly sales, plant features, and events: Current Availability Click for Plant Lists

This post is otherwise known as: I Promise These Are Different: An Aster Identification Rant And Stop Calling Everything a Daisy: An Aster Deep-Dive Or-- The "Is That a Weed or a Rare Perennial?" Guide to Asters at Painters Plus, The Aster Games: May the Odds of Identification Be Ever in Your Favor A.K.A. Aster? I Hardly Know Her! A Beginner’s Guide to Aster ID at Painters (At Painters, we have such a long and multilayered relationship with asters that the titles kept coming. These might nudge you in the direction we are going here...) But first!... a short and germane anecdote: I can never once think of asters without thinking of my husband. "Faster aster," says my silly dude on every fall hike we ever embark upon. "Faster aster," he points and winks. "Faster aster," in another mnemonic tap. (It's habit now. Likely just a steady way to punctuate the walk, but, man, there sure are a lot of asters out here!) A techie who married this nature-loving Luddite, he's pretty proud of the fact that he can identify this favorite pollinator plant among the native viburnums, rhodos, and oaks on our walk. His earnest appreciation makes me smile. So, in gentleness, I haven't yet told him of the KINDS of asters. Species. Varieties. Different habits and habitats. Various leaf traits. Distinct flower bracts. No. There is no need to strip that shiny accomplishment from him just now. No need to thrust him into the Cimmerian world of convoluted plant-I.D. like the rest of us! Because at the end of the day, you don’t need a botany degree to appreciate an aster. Whether you can name an exact species on site or simply point and say “aster,” these plants deliver on almost every gardener's wishlist: want a stunning fall blooming plant? (CHECK.) Looking to support migrating butterflies and tired bees? (CHECK.) Need something that is tough, adaptable, and easy to grow? (CHECK.) These attributes apply to asters in general. Now figuring out the right aster (and matching it to its best location) is where the fun starts—and it's also where knowing your species comes in handy! Basic Aster I.D. Among common WNC asters, I find that most folks usually know a Frost Aster when they see one--who can resist its happy charm! And Heart-Leafed Wood Asters are quite unique in leaf, flower, and location. Even Calico Asters are distinct enough to have a good go at i.d. with their spectrum of color in the centers and their small flowers clustered on just the one side of horizontal stems (a.k.a. side-flowering aster). But when it comes to the most domestically grown and easily confused native stars--Aromatic, New England, and New York asters--I have to admit that I am repeatedly stumped on telling them apart! Botanists and naturalists (of which there are at Painters, but I am not one!) have ways of identifying asters based on a series of distinct attributes. And there are great resources out there for really digging in (A great one! https://namethatplant.net/keys/key_aster.shtml). I certainly will not know them all, but I have a few tricks for winnowing down the basics. So whether you're trying to figure out what's already popping up in your yard or trying to tell apart similar greenhouse finds, you won't have to memorize every attribute. Here's my quick sheet for the straight species natives: (Note: cultivars may have different heights, habits and colors than the species): Feature Aromatic Aster New England Aster New York Aster Growth Habit Low, bushy mound, almost shrub-like Tall, upright, clumping Tall, upright, spreading Average Height 1 to 3 feet 3 to 6 feet 3 to 5 feet Foliage Scent Strong, rigid balsam aroma Faintly resinous or none No distinct scent Stem & Leaf Texture Densely hairy and stiff Softly hairy and sticky Smooth and hairless Bloom Timing Very late fall Late summer to early fall Late summer to early fall Clasping Leaves Do not wrap around the stem at all Heavily clasping leaves Clasp the stem very lightly if at all Key Identifying Feature Rigid aromatic leaves, dynamic late blue-purple blooms Sticky gland-tipped hairs on flower heads, intense purple-pink rays Bright yellow disk centers, smooth stems with smooth toothless leaves Right Plant Right Place So it’s clear that “aster” isn’t one static look! And once we’ve committed to planting them, knowing which is which helps you match the right plant to YOUR space. Do you have edge gardens resembling a shady woodland floor? Or might you be looking to plant on a sun-drenched, prairie-like border? Are you searching for low mounding flowers for the edge of a walkway or six-foot-tall towers for back-of-the-bed color? Should the habit be tidy and well-behaved or will you appreciate some wilder, wandering plants to naturalize an area? Let's start with the asters we commonly carry at Painters and a few ways to find the one right for your needs. Feel free to shout “Faster Aster” whenever the mood strikes! Native Straight Species Asters Frost Aster Symphyotrichum pilosum NATIVE perennial (z4-8) full-part sun, 2-4' tall and wide White blooms late summer through fall; fine hairs covering leaves and stems give the appearance of frost, thrives in open fields and spaces where it can freely self-seed Calico Aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum NATIVE perennial (z4-8) full sun-part shade, 2-3' tall and wide Easy care; tolerates flood and drought Named for the variety of colors displayed in the flowers' centers, ranging from yellow to purple Small flowers clustered on just the one side of horizontal stems (a.k.a. side-flowering aster) Blue Wood Aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Heart-Leafed) NATIVE perennial (z3-8) full sun-part shade, 3-4' tall, 1-2' wide Prefers partial shady conditions and appreciates good air circulation Great for a woodland garden or naturalized area A late-season boon for pollinators, when many other perennials are winding down New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae NATIVE perennial (z4-8) full-part sun, 3-6' tall, 2-3' wide Profuse purple blooms late summer to fall; thrives in rich, moist, well-drained soil with good air circulation Highly valuable for a vast range of wildlife, from bees and butterflies to birds and small mammals Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium NATIVE perennial (z3-8) full sun, 1-3' tall and wide Fragrant blue-green foliage; It thrives in dry, rocky, or poor soils, whereas New England and New York asters prefer richer, moister ground. It is often the very last wildflower to bloom in autumn, frequently lasting well into November. Hybrids and Nativars The plants we carry will vary from season to season at Painters depending on sourcing and what we love to grow most! This list is for Fall 2026: Aster hybrid Symphyotrichum oblongifolium x novae-angliae Aster 'Thunderdome' NATIVAR perennial (z4-8) full-part sun, 3-4' tall, 2-3' wide Deep purple blooms late summer to fall provide abundant autumn beauty and food for pollinators; aromatic foliage is deer and rabbit resistant New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Grape Crush' NATIVAR perennial (z3-8) full sun-part shade, 2' tall, 3' wide Rounded, mounding habit, smothered with densely packed, rich purple flowers in fall -- provides a feast for pollinators as well as a fabulously carefree end-of-season display Thrives in rich, evenly moist soil with good air circulation Drought tolerant, butterflies, cut flowers, resembles a mum, but hardy New York Aster Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Believer Purple' NATIVAR perennial (z3-8) full sun-part shade, 12-18'' tall and wide Sturdy, compact cultivar with cheery purple blooms late summer to fall Thrives in rich, moist soil; deer resistant, juglone tolerant New York Aster Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Daydream Lavender' NATIVAR perennial (z3-8) full sun-part shade, 1-2' tall and wide Sturdy, compact cultivar with pale purple blooms New York Aster Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Dragon Blue' NATIVAR perennial (z4-8) full sun, 12-18'' tall and wide Compact cultivar with bright purple-blue blooms New York Aster Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Hazy Dark Pink' NATIVAR perennial (z3-8) full sun, 12-15'' tall and wide Compact cultivar, smothered in rich pink flowers And More Ornamental Asters We carry a range of choices of beautiful and beneficial non-native asters each year. Here are a few we can't help but love: Heath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides 'Snow Flurry' Perennial (z5-8) full-part sun, 6-8'' tall, 18-24'' wide Species native to dry prairies and roadsides of most of N. America; prostrate cultivar that forms a low, dense groundcover Smothered with tiny white flowers in fall; feeds butterflies late in the season when other blooms have faded Sky Blue Aster Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Perennial (z3-8) full sun, 2-3' tall, 1-2' wide Native to central and eastern N. America, named after the Olentangy River in Ohio where it was discovered; endangered in much of its native range due to destruction of prairies and overmowing of roadsides Pale purple-blue blooms in fall, great for pollinators Drought tolerant; must have well-drained soil to thrive Climbing Aster Ampelaster carolinianus Perennial (z6-9) full sun-part shade, 6-10' tall, 3-6' wide Native to the southeastern coastal plain, including a small part of NC; exceptionally beautiful and valuable to a wide range of wildlife Sprawling, climbing habit, ideal for a fence or arbor; smothered in lavender-pink blooms late summer to frost Remember to view our Growing and Availability Lists to see what's on deck at Painters this season! Happy hunting! or Faster Aster!

Deer munching on their favorite... hostas!! Hate to break it to ya. Deer resistant is not deer proof. No plant is deer proof. Seriously. No. plant. is. deer. proof. When hungry, they will eat anything to survive. (I'm looking at you, wintertime evergreens...) Deer will joyfully nosh on almost everything in spring when there is tender new growth. They especially relish flower buds. Over-fertilized and over-watered plants are particularly lush and appealing to deer. So what's a gardener to do?! Before you throw up your hands and pave the yard, know that there are some strategies to deter these friendly, furry plant scourge. Aroma Deer tend to avoid plants with fragrant leaves making herbs a great choice, like rosemary, sage and lavender. Flowers like salvia and peonies, which have a strong scent, are also unappealing to deer. Shrubs like Lilac Chaste Tree and Caryopteris are extremely resistant to deer and rabbits due to their fragrant blooms and foliage. We highly recommend them and consistently stock them for this reason. (Bonus - they are also great substitutes for butterfly bush - while also not native, they are not invasive, and pollinators love them!) Texture, Spines, or Fuzz Deer are not fond of the feel of mullein or lamb's ear. Deer stay away from plants that have prickly textures, such as boxwood and bearberry, or coneflowers with their hairy leaves and stems are unappealing to deer. Magnolias and Leucothoe are generally rock solid in deer deterrence because of their growth habits and leathery leaves. Find a great selection of both genera at Painters during any season. We are currently carrying Umbrella, Fraser and Sweetbay Magnolias--great native options--as well as several other super cultivars. And always popular, the natives and the varieties of Leucothoe axillaris and Leucothoe fontanesiana move quickly! Toxic plants Deer generally steer clear of toxic plants, including daffodils and bleeding heart. Yews, although toxic, are a bit more complicated. The Japanese plum yew, Cephalotaxus, is considered to be quite resistant to deer. (Although, again, if they are without options, they can eat this too!) But do not confuse a Japanese plum yew with the common yew or English yew, Taxus, which are deer magnets!! Rutgers University classified these as “frequently severely damaged” on their list of Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance. If you are looking to deter deer from your garden, opt for a plant belonging to the Cephalotaxus genus and avoid Taxus yews. Japanese Plum Yew Ferns and Grasses generally have great resistance to deer. Whether you love big statement plants like ostrich ferns or royal ferns, or you are looking for some gorgeous color with Autumn ferns or Painted ferns, you have many varieties to try. The deer generally won't! Same goes for those gorgeous grasses! Little Bluestem, Blue Fescue, Fountain Grass, Switch Grass, Northern Sea Oats, Feather Reed Grass, Pink Muhly, Big Bluestem... and the list goes on and on. Scroll all the way down to download our list of favorites! And don't forget to use tools where you can. Physical barriers are helpful. Young trees are most at risk--fencing and wire caging can help during the early growth. Similarly, vegetables, fruit trees, and bushes can be covered with netting during the growing season (this might help with more than just deer!) Or try our favorite product for deer and rabbit deterrence: Green Screen. A mixture of bone meal, blood meal, and a pepper blend, it's 100% organic and non-toxic and we find that it really works! (We don't currently have any stocked at Painters, but you can buy direct from their website if you don't find it locally.) And the Availability Lists at Painters allow you to sort for some of our most deer resistant plants. Use the search tool at the top of the chart in our Growing List or the Tree and Shrub Availability list. We've done our best to mark those with higher success. A preview of our Tree and Shrub Availability. Click to learn more! Another angle of research would be to make sure to know which plants you want to steer clear of--read up on common plants that are perfectly delicious to deer! You can anticipate some munching if you have deer neighbors and daylilies, hostas, arborvitae, strawberries, or more in your yard... download our most requested handout! And finally, in the end, take a deep breath. Give it your best shot. And know that all rules can be broken, guidelines are just guidelines, and plants are greens--which just might mean food.

The color red is associated with both positive and negative emotions. It is linked to passion and love as well as power and energy (...and sometime anger!). In any form, it elicits a strong response. And in plants, people love it or hate it. It's the color that refuses to blend in. Because it is so eye-catching, it can be used sparingly as an effective accent, or you can "paint the town red" and go all in with lots of scarlet color. Hot colors, like red or orange, are visually advancing colors, meaning they 'jump forward' and can create an appearance of looking closer than in actuality. In a large yard, plant a mass of red at the far edge of your property to visually pull the boundary in. (Pineapple sage, anyone?) Similarly, because the human eye easily locks onto red colors so easily, you have some great ways to use this. You can make it a single focal point to draw the eye exactly where you want people to look: a floral focal point! (Perfect use for the quintessential red geranium.) You could use the red as a frame for a different specimen plant. Or you could repeat the same red plant in a sweeping drift through a garden bed to guide the viewer's eye across the landscape. (Designers often recommend these rivers of color instead of scattering single plants randomly which can make the eyes jump around nervously.) How red behaves also depends on what is sitting next to it. Pair red with its complementary green color and that foliage acts as the perfect stage to make the scarlet blooms absolutely explode. Pair red with more vibrant yellows or lime greens (like a bright sweet potato vine) to create a high-energy, summery vibe that creates a pop of joy. Or for a more sophisticated match, pair red with deep purples, burgundies, and blues (i.e. trailing blue lobelia or an alternanthera) to cool down the aggressive nature of the red and create a rich color combination. And for sure, if you are wanting to view hummingbirds and pollinators from your porch, red is your cheat code. Plant native honeysuckle, beebalm, and annual sages close to windows or patios where you can enjoy the show! Whatever your design choice, make it a red-letter day! Join us at Painters and grab your favorite ruby-hued bloom. Just be careful not to fill your cart too high—you wouldn’t want to get caught red-handed taking the very last one... or would you? (As always, our inventory sells fast. Before you get your beating red heart totally set on one particular plant, check prices, sizes, and current season availability on our Growing & Availability Lists:) RED in Name Sometimes the vibrancy is so undeniable that "red" is the only word bold enough to cover it. Check out these high-energy, head-turning focal points. RED Perennials Bring that bold, scarlet energy back year after year so you can skip the replanting and get straight to the admiring. RED-ish Blooms It turns out that in the botanical world, "red" is sometime more of a vibrant suggestion than a literal description, frequently leaning into those deep magentas and punchy pinks that still pack a scarlet punch. Straight Up Red Annuals The O.G. Red Geranium is an undisputed icon but don't overlook the other scarlet stars that can bring that same heat: Punchy Alternatives Sometimes you need a blaze without screaming fire. Here are a few show-stopper alternatives that are solid standouts, without the crimson hue.