Each month our editor, Laura Lukes, highlights an outstanding plant, an interesting insect, a fun place to visit, a new technique, or helpful tool.
Aster chilensis ‘Purple Haze’
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Purple Haze”? Yes, we too automatically think of the sweet aster cultivar that is happy just about anywhere you plant it. Its attributes are many. A perennial evergreen with a long blooming season (spring through fall), this fast (some say vigorous) grower spreads between 3 to 6 feet wide, while retaining a low profile of 12 to 24 inches. It will tolerate almost any type of soil. In its coastal habitat, it can take full sun, but in our hotter climate, we suggest planting it where it can get some afternoon shade. Calscape lists its water needs as very, very low, and our inside source concurs. And if all of that were not enough, ‘Purple Haze’ aster will delight bees and butterflies.
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