About a week after I bought it (I did water it during that period), I planted this aster in my backyard (full-sun) in a mix of 50/50 native soil and Coast of Maine lobster compost.

Not sure if its noteworthy but when getting ready to plant I made a couple vertical cuts along the root system and massaged the roots, have done this with other plants no issues.

Not even a week after planting I've noticed that a lot of the smaller stems and upper leaves have started to dry out and die. I've ready that they're pretty drought tolerant so I was surprised to see what looks like underwatering symptoms. Could it be an issue of the soil maybe being too compact? Have a look at the pictures and let me know what you think!

I was thinking this plant would be more on the low-maintenance side...though maybe it is and I've just done something wrong...

Even low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants need extra water after planting until they establish new roots, especially in the heat of summer and when the roots were cut or broken. Nothing wrong with that, by the way...perfectly common procedure, but more stressful on the plant in the summer vs spring. If it was hot, the not-yet-established roots couldn't get adequate water up into the leaves.

It looks like you've got plenty of green and and new bud growth. Give it regular water and a little shade mid-day for a week or so. If you have any shade cloth or row cover, those will gently diffuse the sun but not block in entirely. One other thing, you mentioned compost but not any fertilizer. If you were thinking about it, don't fertilize until the roots are well established and new growth is appearing.

nmoasis said:Even low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants need extra water after planting until they establish new roots, especially in the heat of summer and when the roots were cut or broken. Nothing wrong with that, by the way...perfectly common procedure, but more stressful on the plant in the summer vs spring. If it was hot, the not-yet-established roots couldn't get adequate water up into the leaves.

It looks like you've got plenty of green and and new bud growth. Give it regular water and a little shade mid-day for a week or so. If you have any shade cloth or row cover, those will gently diffuse the sun but not block in entirely. One other thing, you mentioned compost but not any fertilizer. If you were thinking about it, don't fertilize until the roots are well established and new growth is appearing.

Late reply I know but thanks for your suggestions - I'm sure the extra watering went a long way towards saving this plant. It's looking great now.

Definitely will plan on being more thoughtful about how the weather conditions will influence my planting, in terms of cutting the root ball, extra water and shade etc. Thanks again!

You're welcome. Glad it's doing well!