Raydon's Favorite Aromatic Aster

Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite' (Aromatic Aster) is one of our most reliable native perennial asters.  It has a strikingly beautiful mounded appearance with attractive foliage. Blooming in mid- to late fall, it displays large clusters of blue-purple, daisy-like flowers on a 2-3 ft. tall multi-stemmed plant. Highly attractive to native bees and butterflies, this plant is an essential nectar source for pollinating insects preparing for winter. Vigorous and unfussy in the garden, 'Raydon's Favorite' Aster grows in rocky, loam and clay soils and withstands difficult growing conditions very well.  It was a top-rated selection in the Chicago Botanic Garden trials, exhibiting exceptional flower production and outstanding winter hardiness. Plant it with Gold Standard Tickseed (Coreopsis 'Gold Standard'), Santa Fe Perennial Sunflower (Helianthus 'Santa Fe'), Prairie Dropseed Grass (Sporobolus) and Santa Fe Phlox (Phlox nana). Nearly of heirloom status and grown for many years, it was introduced into cultivation by San Antonio gardener Raydon Alexander, who got it in the wilds of Tennessee .