October Skies Aster

Other Names: Michaelmas Daisy

Ornamental Features:

October Skies Aster features beautiful sky blue daisy flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It's narrow leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

October Skies Aster is a dense herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

October Skies Aster is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Mass Planting
• Container Planting

Plant Characteristics:

October Skies Aster will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This is a selection of a native North American species.