Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Blue, Violet

 

Flower Season

Summer, Fall

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Ranch, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Entry, Perennial Border, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Aromatic aster is a high plains native, that typically occurs on limestone glades, slopes, prairies and dry open ground. A bushy, stiff, compact, low-growing plant with hairy stems. Typically grows 1 to 2 feet tall, though infrequently to 3 tall, and about as wide. It has small, daisy-like flowers with violet blue rays and yellow center disks. Rigid, toothless, oblong, blue-green leaves are, as the common name suggests, fragrant when crushed. Good cut flower. Attractive to butterflies. Tolerates poorer and drier soils than other asters. There are named cultivars available, selected for color or habit.

Grow in average, medium to dry, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Pinching back stems in late spring will lower overall plant height, but will also delay bloom onset and increase branches, increasing the number of blooms. A light winter mulch will help protect crowns. Cut stems to the ground in early spring before new growth appears. Wet soils in winter can be fatal.