Description
Sky Blue Aster, Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
DEEPOT 2.75″ x 10″
Light: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium
Soil: Sandy, loamy or clay; well-drained
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Bloom Season: September – October
Bloom Color: Violet-blue with yellow centers
Notes:
Sky Blue Aster produces a profusion of daisy-like flowers that have bright blue to violet rays and yellow center disks. Each flower is about 1-inch across. In autumn, the airy blossoms are borne in spreading clusters at the plant’s branch tips—providing a good source of late-season nectar for bees, butterflies, moths, skippers, and other beneficial insects. The seeds that follow attract birds.
This plant has an upright growth habit with lower basal leaves that are heart-shaped, up to 5 inches long, hairy, and often serrated. The leaves thin out along branching stems. The upper leaves are smaller and narrower, and have a rough texture. The foliage turns reddish in fall.
Sky Blue Asters bring cheerful late-season color to a fall garden when other summer blooms are waning. Use this plant in butterfly gardens, rock gardens, meadows, or woodland margins. It is also lovely mixed in borders or allowed to spread naturally along rustic paths or fences. As a middle-height plant, it will fill gaps between ground covers and taller shrubs. It is also nice mixed among grasses or sedges.
Sky Blue Aster is easy to grow, tolerating a wide range of soils provided they are well-drained. Standing water can cause root rot. The ground-hugging rhizomes of this plant are good for erosion control. It is salt and drought tolerant—ideal for xeriscaping. Propagate by stratified seeds, division, or softwood cuttings taken in late spring.
Photos courtesy of:
1. RW Smith, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
2. Ray Matthews, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
