Douglas Aster Seeds (Symphyotrichum subspicatum)

One of the latest blooming wildflowers in the Northwest. Rising up to 3 or 4 feet in height with purple/blue/white flowers, this hardy plant adapts to an incredible range of conditions. We find it on windswept and salt-sprayed coastal bluffs, in damp forest clearings along pristine trout streams, and growing out of pavement cracks in the economy parking lot of the airport. In our experience, about the only thing this adaptable plant doesn't stand up to is constant rabbit browsing.  Technically Douglas aster is native from the Aleutian islands in Alaska all the way south into northern California -- with populations also showing up in parts of Idaho and Montana. It's a very good plant for areas with full sun to partial shade, areas subjected to salt or saline soils, areas that are occasionally subject to flooding, and it can tolerate cold winters. Like many of our native meadow plants, Douglas aster is under-valued as a rain garden or bioswale species.  This plant is a caterpillar food s