This plant can be quite attractive because it is often covered with small white flowers during the fall, helping to extend the season of bloom in wildflower gardens and elsewhere. People often pull it out of their flowerbeds without realizing what it is, and instead attempt to grow exotic flowers that wither away into nothing under the hot Midwestern sun, unless they receive constant water, fertilizer, and attention. The Frost Aster, on the other hand, flourishes without any special treatment. Distinguishing the different species of asters with small white flowers can be difficult. Each compound flower of the Frost Aster has more ray florets (usually well over 20) than those of similar species, such as Aster ericoides (Heath Aster). It is a more hairy plant than Aster lanceolatus (Panicled Aster).