Plant Database
Purple Haze California Aster
Aster chilensis ‘Purple Haze’
Symphyotrichum chilense 'Purple Haze' (formerly Aster chilensis) is a vigorous, deciduous herbaceous perennial prized for its sprawling, mat-forming habit and profuse, deep lavender-purple flowers with bright golden-yellow centers. This California native selection is a powerhouse in the late-season garden, sending up a multitude of slender, spreading stems that create a low, wide, weed-suppressing ground cover. From late summer through fall (August to October), the plant is nearly smothered in a haze of small, daisy-like flowers, each with numerous narrow, deep lavender to violet-purple petals surrounding a prominent yellow disc, creating a spectacular, long-lasting display that attracts a constant parade of butterflies, native bees, moths, and other pollinators . With exceptional tolerance for drought, poor soils, and coastal conditions, and its vigorous, spreading habit, it is an outstanding choice for erosion control on slopes, native plant gardens, wildflower meadows, ground cover, borders, and under oaks .