We Love Asters in Autumn
Posted:8 October 2016
At a time when many of the garden’s border plants are fading early September to mid October in the Garden House garden the many varieties of colourful asters are invaluable crowd pleasers!
Aster is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Asters are easy to grow herbaceous perennials with daisy-like and abundant starry-shaped flower heads (in fact they get their name from the Latin word for “star”).
The flowers range from white and soft lavender-blue shades to crimson pinks and purples and are much loved by bees and butterflies! The plants can be tall and willowy or compact, ranging from 8 inches to 8 feet, depending on the type.
Among many Garden House favourites:
- Aster x frikartil ‘Monch’ AGM – makes a tidy mound with lavender-blue semi-double flowers
- Aster x cordifolius Little Carlow AGM is bushy with abundant lavender-blue, yellow-centred daisies
- Aster lateriflorus ‘Lady in Black’ has a more horizontal habit and very delicate white flowers with pink centres
You can find an aster for almost any garden and they have many uses, such as in containers, borders, rock gardens, or wildflower gardens.
- Like full sun or part shade
- Will tolerate any aspect, exposed or sheltered
- Happy on most soils, ideally moist but well-drained
- May need staking (pea sticks are ideal)
- Cut back in late autumn
- Pinch back the blooms early in the season to encourage side shoots
- Or cut back by about one-third in July to keep the plant more compact
- Propagate by division in spring for the best display of flowers
Local nursery specialists include Marchants Hardy Plants, Laughton, East Sussex BN8 6AJ www.marchantshardyplants.co.uk
Woottons of Wenhasten also have a great selection available by mail-order www.woottonsplants.com
