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Grape Crush New England Aster . pic by Proven Winners .
Asters are daisy - like blossom that flower in late - summertime and other - fall . They fall in a wide mixed bag of colors and sizes , are well-heeled to uprise and blossom predictably and reliably . They pull pollinators with their bright colours and are disease and cervid insubordinate .
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ASTER BASICS
Zones:
3 - 10 ; varies depending on specie and cultivar .
Flower color:
Colors are diverse , range from ashen and pastel blue air and pinks , to hybrids of mysterious scarlet and purpleness .
Bloom time:
August through October ; depart count on species and cultivar .
Height/spread:
Most range from 1 to 4 feet in height , with some grow as tall as 5 or 6 foot and some staying as small as 6 inches . Their breadth typically ranges from 1 to 3 feet .
Types:
According to the Chicago Botanic Garden , there are approximately 250 types , many of which are native to North America .
Here is a list of the most common garden asters :
Other , less rough-cut , type include alpine , California , tatarian , heart - leaved , self-aggrandising leaf , ocean , poor ’s , crook - stem , Frikart ’s , Italian , and East Indies . China aster ( Callistephus chinensis ) , which belongs to the same plant family discussed here , is actually an annual .
PLANTING ASTERS
Photo by : Maridav / Shutterstock .
When:
Asters can be planted anytime from springtime through fall . In warm sphere , avoid plant during the heat of the summertime . In coolheaded areas , plant no later than early fall so the roots have time to make grow before freezing temperatures come .
Soil:
All types of grunge , but most prefer well - drained , organically plentiful grunge . watch more about preparing your soil here : Garden Soil 101 .
Exposure:
Full sun , tolerates light shade , like cooler summertime temperature .
Spacing:
Depending on which I you ’re planting , they ’ll need to be space 1 to 4 feet aside .
Containers:
They can be planted in containers using a lightweight potting admixture . verify your throne has a drain hole and that there is easy access to water nearby . Some people even develop pot asters indoors .
ASTER CARE
Water:
Once show , they ask footling tearing , unless conditions have become unusually dry and the flora show foretoken of stress . New York aster ( Symphyotrichum novi - belgii ) cultivar have shallow root and may require more frequent watering during the summer , especially when planted in detached - draining soils . Keep dirt moist , but not pure . Mulching to reduce piss passing is an crucial strategy for preventing disease .
Pruning:
Pinching back stems , or deadheading , several time before mid - July helps to control plant height , elevate bushiness , and encourages bloom through the entire season . pass on a few wilted blooms at the close of the season if you desire them to ego - sow . Learn more about pinching and deadheading here : Pruning Garden Shrubs and Perennials .
Staking:
Taller stemmed kind may require staking .
Fertilizing:
Some gardener say a level of constituent mulch will supply all the nutrients they need , while others suggest a light app of an organic plant food at the jump of their growing season . Do not apply fertilizer once they have started flower as it may shorten the bloom meter .
Dividing:
Whether you ’re separate to control the size of it or to circulate them , do it in outpouring just as new shoots are emerging . This will give them the integral growing season to overcome the shock . The frequency of division alter depending on the species and cultivar , but most will benefit from naval division every 2 to 4 years .
Pests and diseases:
In some areas foliar rust andpowdery mildewcan be a problem , while lace hemipteran baffle the biggest menace when it come to pest damage .
ASTER PICTURES
With such variety , it is easy to see why these fall - blooming perennial take center stage in so many gardens . Here are a few varieties to explore :
exposure by : Proven Winners .
Grape Crush — Buy now from Proven WinnersAster novae - angliae
zone 3 - 8
fat , blue purple flowers bloom atop obscure unripe foliage in early to mid - fall . Prefers well - run out soil and full sun . Grows to 30 inches grandiloquent , 44 inches broad .
pic by : Richard Bloom .
‘ Mönch’Aster ×frikartii
zone 5 - 10
One of the first hybrids by Swiss breeder Carl Ludwig Frikart ( 1918 ) , this was mention for one of three mountain peaks seeable from his greenhouse . Lavender - blue blossom from later June through early October . The Pictons recommend pair withSymphyotrichum novi - belgii‘Saint Egwyn ’ .
photograph by : Clive Nichols .
‘ October Skies’Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
zone 4 - 9
Aromatic aster are heat- and cold - hardy — and infer their name from the light aroma they produce when crushed . These make good companions for small shrubs and tree ; specially chrysanthemum . ‘ October Skies ’ has imperial - blue flowers .75 inch across and reaches 18 inches high .
‘ Patricia Ballard’Symphyotrichum novi - belgii
Zones 4 - 8
The reliably blooming hopeful purple - pink treble flower , 1.75 inches across , on prongy atomiser that grow up to 36 inch improbable make ‘ Patricia Ballard ’ a full option for the front or mid - delimitation . spawn at Old Court Nurseries by Percy Picton in 1957 .
‘ purplish Dome’Symphyotrichum novae - angliae
One of the shorter New England asters , ‘ Purple Dome ’ produces separate sprayer up to 24 in tall . “ This is a beautiful pick — naturally compact , floriferous , deep purple , ” Jim Sutton says . “ A dense agriculturalist with first-class mildew resistance . ”
Aster’Little Carlow '
Compact clustering will achieve 20 inch across in 2 years , grow sprays up to 4 feet tall . Free - blossom flowers are about 1 inch across . These are popular in formal borderline and meadows . “ Contrast the dense atomiser of this aster with grain from other plants , ” suggest Helen and Paul Picton , co - authors ofThe Plant Lover ’s Guide to Asters .
‘ Carnival’Symphyotrichum novi - belgii
Magenta flower with chickenhearted discs grow from late summertime into fall . judge it in gravel bed , molding , and loose garden .
‘ Calliope’Symphyotrichum laeve
Also sleep together as quiet blue aster , ‘ steam organ ’ is unique for its superlative and purple - tinct stems , making it a good option for cut . It grows to more than 6.5 feet mellow in honest conditions . As such , say the Pictons , “ it lend itself to more wild or realistic planting schemes . ”
‘ Helen Picton’Symphyotrichum novae - angliae
This New England aster sports vivacious purple flowers , 1.5 inches full , in large sprays atop upright stem to 48 column inch improbable . According to its namesake , “ Swaths of recurrent grasses . . . can be given an easy rise of semblance in mid - fall with large clumps of this aster . ”
photograph by : Steffen Houser / GWI .
‘ Lovely’Symphyotrichum ericoides
Zones 3 - 9
This bushy heath aster bears peck of modest , soft pinkish peak from late summer through mid - fall . Tall stems and deep immature foliage make ‘ Lovely ’ excellent for cutting . More drouth tolerant than many asters , it also does well in full sunshine in a delimitation or container .
‘ Herbstschnee’Symphyotrichum nova - angliae
The pale coloring — ashen flowers 1.75 inches across with pallid green foliage — makes this unique among New England asters . Woody clump bring forth spray of compact branches up to 4 feet tall , so it ’s well suited toward the back of a border .
‘ Mrs. S.T. Wright’Symphyotrichum nova - angliae
Profusions of lilac flowers , 2 inches across , blossom on sprays that develop up to 5 feet tall . This classic cultivar introduced by H.J. Jones in the UK more than 100 years ago is still popular among gardeners and butterflies alike .
‘ Veilchenkönigin ’ ( ‘ Violet Queen’)Aster amellus
Zones 3 - 10
Each branchy clump of this compact plant acquire to about 16 inch eminent and 12 inch across . The minor reddish blue flower ( 2 inches across ) seem to beam with depth of coloring . The Pictons recommend place these salad days next to geomorphologic locoweed .
‘ Prince’Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
A shaggy-coated plant with petite , skywards - facing white flowers a half column inch across , this mid - declination bloomer take issue from other varieties in the deep coloring of its spring outgrowth . The yellow disk of the flower fade to empurple . Spreads to about 12 column inch across .
Photo by : Visions Pictures .
‘ Snow Flurry’Symphyotrichum ericoides f. prostratum
Heath aster tend to have a shaggy-haired use , hairy stem , humble leave , and sparser electron beam florets than other aster . This aster sits just 4 to 6 inches above the primer coat and spreads to about 1 foot . White flowers about a half in across create what looks like a blanket of mid - fall snow . The Pictons recommend planting ‘ Snow Flurry ’ where it can cascade .
EXPERT DESIGN TIPS
Choose contrast CompanionsHardy cosmetic grasses and real leaf plants such as Yucca , Carex , and flame nettle provide a stout backdrop for piano or brightly colored asters . For Jim Sutton of Longwood Gardens , his favourite sustainable companion plant life is kale — particularly ‘ Lacinato ’ .
Go BigPaul Picton , co - generator ofThe Plant Lover ’s templet to Asters , says , “ When planted en masse , billowing clouds of color will enhance and revive garden at a clock time of twelvemonth when most other flower are fade . ”
Planting aster alongside latterly - blooming perennials and grasses with strong color brings the fall garden to life . Here , Aster ×frikartii‘Mönch ’ is joined byRudbeckia fulgida‘Viette ’s Little Suzy’,Rudbeckia subtomentosa , Hydrangea‘Annabelle’,Verbena bonariensis , Sedum‘Matrona ’ , andRosa‘Rosemary Rose ’ , sweeps of Japanese wood grass , and black mondo skunk . photograph by : Richard Bloom .
Put Them in a ContainerUse a single bushy plant , or make a mini - landscape painting with smaller asters and grasses . Picton suggests cultivars , Symphyotrichum ericoides‘Golden Spray ’ , andS. novi - belgii‘Lady in Blue ’ or ‘ Rosebud ’ .
Pump Up the ColorPlace them next to other fall - bloom perennials , bulbs , and shrubs — or more aster . Mr. Picton recommend jaundiced and saysgoldenrodsmake grand companion .
Vary HeightsPlant a commixture of marvelous upright stem , low diffuse shrubs , and everything in between . Used as a mid - border plant , medium - to - tall asters will down out after the summer blooms have move off . “ amount September , they get a probability to radiate , ” Sutton says .
Place Properly“Asters fromSymphyotrichum novi - belgii , S. novae - angliae , S. ericoides , andS. cordifoliumare happy in an open , cheery internet site in soil that does n’t get too wry in summer , ” Mr. Picton read . “ Other specie such asEurybia schreberiwill be happy to grow in dry shade . warm conditions might be tolerated by some of the on-key aster find crazy in Europe and Asia . ”
Whether you want a pop of late - time of year colour or an addition to yourpollinator garden , aster could be the answer .
component of this article were adapted from a piece originally write by Meg Ryan for Garden Design Magazine .
Last updated : April 4 , 2024
