Aromatic Aster 'October Skies'

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'

'October Skies' is the lower-growing companion to 'Raydon's Favorite' in the Aromatic Aster family. shorter, wider, and blooming just slightly later into autumn with clear blue-violet flowers that earn their name on crisp October days. The mounded form stays naturally compact at 18 to 24 inches, making it easier to use toward the front of a border or as a mass planting along a path or driveway where the fall display will be seen close-up. Brush the foliage as you pass and you'll get that same pleasant resinous scent that all aromatic asters carry. The flowers are lighter blue than 'Raydon's Favorite'. almost sky-blue in some lights. and cover the plant completely when in peak bloom. Fall pollinators love it. It's one of the most floriferous of all the native asters and one of the most reliably self-supporting.