Aster Novi-belgii

Asters, Aster novi-belgii, is one of the flowers which has always been a must in both the lavish perennial beds of rural gardens and the romantic flower corner of urban gardens. When most of the garden flowers got dull, high asters shone brightly with clouds of violet flowers against the blue late summer sky. They went on until the frost set in, putting a dignified stop to summer.

Asters, of course, still boast all these fine qualities today. However, more have been added so that asters are no longer reserved for perennial beds. Plant them in containers and tubs, or in your perennial bed to add colours in late summer. Today, asters are more than ever a must for the late summer garden.

The perennials grown by your great-grandmother were tall plants that easily overturned when the late summer weather showed its teeth. But no more, thanks to intensive nursery development succeeding to such an extent that your great-grandmother would not be able to know her asters again.

Modern asters are low plants that do not overturn and therefore ideal for containers.

At the same time, lots of new flower colours have been introduced. Asters are no longer just blue, but also red, pink, violet, lilac and white. The great variety of shades in the blue and red segments of the colour range matches each other so that you can create beautiful, harmonic, tone-in-tone combinations of asters alone, or together with other beautiful late summer flowers such as hebe, roses and butterfly lavender.

In the new series, Victoria Aster, the flowers are also very full and last considerably longer than old-fashioned asters.

A few pieces of good advice

When planting asters in containers, it is a good idea to plant them close together to create a beautiful unity from the start. Plant them in good container soil and ensure good drainage in the container. Rainy periods will occur during late summer and it is therefore important to ensure that excess water can run off.

However, it is also important to water asters regularly as the flowers will soon become dull if they dry out.

Place your late summer containers in a bright, sunny location where you can enjoy them every day – and make summer last a bit longer. By pinching off flowers as they fade, you can prolong the flowering season.