Dream of Beauty Aromatic Aster

Symphyotrichum oblongifolius 'Dream of Beauty' (Aromatic Aster) is a garden workhorse blooming from mid-summer to fall. This High Plains native was introduced in 1960 by the Great Plains plantsman Claude Barr. Give this perennial plenty of room to fill in, as it will easily spread to 24" wide. To create a more dense, compact plant, cut back by one-fourth in early summer. Happy in sun or morning sun with afternoon shade, this Aster will grow in a wide range of soil types, from sandy to average, including clay. Keep soil moderately moist to establish, thereafter, this plant is both drought and heat tolerant. An excellent choice for a wildflower garden or meadow, it will naturalize when happy. Leave plant standing over winter, then cut it back to 1-2" above ground in early spring. Asters are deer-resistant pollinator favorite that provide much-needed late-season pollen for bees and butterflies, and later, seed for birds. Plant with Lavender, Echinacea (Coneflower), other Asters, and Ornamental Grasses.