Fall Aster

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Fall Aster is a perennial native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 2–3 ft tall and 2.5–3 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water. Blooms purple and violet in Sep–Nov. Good for bees, birds, butterflies, moths and small mammals.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Mounding perennial that covers itself in violet-purple daisies in October.

Why it works here

The best fall purple available here, blooming exactly when the garden needs it, with no water on limestone.

Watch out

Shear it back by half in early summer or it flops open when it blooms.

The facts

9 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 2–3 ft
Spread: 2.5–3 ft
Bloom: Sep–Nov · purple, violet
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Recorded on calcareous, dry, moist, rocky, sand, well drained
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Buds browsed just before the fall bloom, which is the worst possible timing.
Wildlife: Supports bees, birds, browsing mammals, butterflies, moths and small mammals

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandLimestone Cut Plain

97 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5–4.5 inch pots1 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.