The best varieties of annual asters for flower beds

Where to plant an aster?

Aster heather is an unpretentious flower, but it looks spectacular in landscape gardening design. Its flowering from September to November adorns the garden beds, lining whole carpets of small inflorescences. The plant retains its decorative functions for a long time, which is why asters are very much appreciated by gardeners. The flower has high frost resistance, abundant flowering and does not require special care. Florists know a lot of tricks for growing this plant. First of all, the choice of a place for planting an aster is important.

The plant is very fond of sunlight, so for its cultivation it is better to select open, unshaded areas. The most suitable soil is loamy and sandy loam soil. It is difficult to grow a heather aster if the groundwater in the ground is close to the surface, the plant does not tolerate excess moisture.

Within 4-5 years, a flower transplant to another place is not required; at the end of this period, you need to change the site. This is a kind of prophylaxis to prevent possible diseases.

It is best to choose a site where marigolds or calendula grew before the asters. It is undesirable to transplant a flower to places where a carnation, gladiolus or tulip was grown, since these plants are susceptible to furasiosis, which is caused by fungi.

Iberis

In culture, there are two types of Iberis - annual and perennial. The latter has white flowers and low clumps, the main scope of this flower is alpine slides and retaining walls. But the annual Iberis is used very widely, and first of all it is a delicate flower bed, unpretentious and easy to care for.

Iberis

Such an Iberis can be recognized by the umbrella-shaped inflorescences of lilac and pinkish color. In the annual Iberis, flowering is more abundant than in the white perennial species.

This plant grows best in cool weather. In this regard, seeds must be sown in open ground as early as possible so that they can bloom and show themselves in all their glory before the onset of the summer heat.

Once having planted this flower in the garden, you can not think about its further reproduction, because the self-seeding of Iberis is very abundant, and in the spring the seedlings can be given to all neighbors.

At the same time, it is difficult to call Iberis a "weed", its low and not too branchy bushes will not take up too much space in the garden, even if they have grown in an unnecessary place, they can be easily transplanted later.

Thanks to its endurance, this delicate flower will independently decorate those corners of the garden where it is difficult to grow something.

Reproduction

Seedlings will allow you to get gorgeous aster flowers in July, subject to the following deadlines:

• in late March - early April, seeds are sown;
• by May 15, young shoots are planted separately in the area where they can grow for 5 years.

There are 2 more breeding methods.

• Cuttings of perennial asters begin in early spring with the appearance of the first shoots. Before planting the cuttings, they are recommended to be kept in a solution to stimulate development or simply in water. Shoots are planted in the shade or separately under the film, they need to be watered and weeded regularly. Landing in a permanent place is made only after a year.
• The division of the bush is used when the plants are overgrown. After 5 years, the aster must be planted. The old root is removed from the mother bush, the remaining rhizome with shoots is divided into several parts. Autumn is suitable for dividing early varieties; in spring, late asters are propagated this way.

By choosing one of the breeding methods, you can admire the flower carpet made from these mini-plants for a long time.

When and how it blooms

Today, botanists know a huge number of species, varieties and hybrids of this unusually beautiful flower.

Types of flowers

The Aster family includes a huge number of flower species. Choosing a plant that is suitable for a particular installation or flower bed will not be a problem. Today, there are several main and most popular types:

Flower shapes

Asters are divided into several groups according to their shape.

• small - up to 3.5-4 cm;
• medium - from 4 to 8 cm;
• large - from 8 cm.

By the shape of the inflorescence:

• flat;
• rounded flat;
• hemispherical;
• spherical;
• semi-double;
• terry.

Flowering period

Typically, asters are divided into 3 flowering periods. The first ones are spring. Blossom from May to June. Next comes the turn of the summer. They bloom from June to August. Perhaps this is the longest group of flowers. Autumn delights from the end of August until the first snow.

Changes in care during flowering

During the budding process, the aster is fed a second time. For this, prepare 50 gr. a mixture of phosphate and potassium for every 1 m2 of the site. Just before the beginning of flowering, the aster is fed a third time. The composition of the top dressing remains the same. When the flowers are in full bloom, it is recommended that you reduce the watering a little. Asters are very sensitive to excess moisture, but do not overdry the soil too much. The frequency of watering is recommended to be developed independently, based on the time of complete drying of the soil near the root system.

Important! If the summer is dry, then watering should be abundant. Otherwise, the flowers will be scarce and small.

Transplant after purchase and during reproduction

It is recommended to transplant seedlings into open ground in early May. It is recommended to loosen the soil after each watering or rain. This helps to ventilate the root system and protects against rotting.

If the time for planting seedlings is missed, then you can resort to the cuttings method, which can be carried out throughout the summer.

Planting and grooming recommendations

The soil

Dwarf asters, as in the majority, are unpretentious, but if you want splendor and duration of flowering, then, firstly, immediately plant them in good soil, and secondly, remember about feeding. If your land is poor, then apply fertilizer once a week, if moderately fertile, then once a month. Asters can be fed with complex preparations, dressings, where there is a lot of potassium and phosphorus, but not nitrogen. If we talk about organic matter, then no dung and manure, you can only use rotted compost and humus.

The second important condition is soil air permeability. If the soil holds abundant moisture, then the root system can begin to rot and your flowers will wither.

Therefore, during planting, sand or perlite should be poured to the bottom, already humus on top of them. After each watering, it is better to loosen the beds, thereby giving oxygen to the roots and destroying possible homes for parasites.

Also, before sowing or transferring seedlings, it is necessary to check the soil for acidity. This can be done using litmus paper, which is available at gardening stores. Dwarf asters and everyone else prefer neutral soil and slightly alkaline soil - 6.5-7.5. To reduce acidity, lime is poured on the site.

Watering and disease

Everything is quite simple here - asters love moisture, but in moderation. That is, the season turned out to be rainy, which means that you only need to loosen the bushes so that there is no stagnation. If the moisture is in moderation, then watering 1-2 times a week will be enough, if there is a drought, then every day. Many people believe that you need to water the flowers only with settled water. But experience has long shown that this principle can only be applied to seedlings, and on the garden bed and plain water from the hose will be enough. It is more important to ensure that there is no crust on the surface and that parasites do not multiply.

Buying seeds of annual asters

When buying seeds of the annual aster (Callistephus chinensis), do not neglect domestic seeds, even if the picture on the bag is not as colorful as on the packaging of imported seeds. Our aster seeds are not only no worse, but more often they are much more reliable (more resistant to fusarium wilt). There are so many varieties of annual asters that it is difficult to choose the best ones. There are stunted and tall asters (20 - 90 cm), with small and large inflorescences (2 - 16 cm), with a small and huge number of flowers (5 - 100 pcs.), Etc. Everyone knows how different the flowers (or rather inflorescences) of asters are. These plants are grown not only in the land of flower beds, but also in flower pots. For example, undersized "Waldersee", "Pinocchio" and "Edelweiss" (with many small inflorescences). Recently, dwarf asters with large inflorescences ("Dwarf Royal", "Dwarf Radio") have become popular.

Asters are varied. There are low-growing varieties from 20 cm in height ("Edelweiss", "Dwarf royal"), there are giants ("California gigantic", "American bush"). The shape of the bush can be spreading ("Ostrich feather", "Princess"), columnar ("Peony"), cushion ("Royal dwarf"), pyramidal ("Ambria"), etc. Inflorescences are non-double ("Edelweiss"), semi-double and densely double ("Princess", "Radio"). The color of the inflorescences is one-color or two-color. The size of flowers - from modest ("Edelweiss") to large ("American bush").

It makes no sense to buy many bags of seeds of the same variety at once, since the guaranteed germination period is short, and there are many seeds in the bag. 1 g contains from 300 to 500 light seeds. After two years, seed germination drops sharply, dropping to 40%. If you have asters in bloom, then do not miss the opportunity to collect the seeds of the most beautiful varieties.

What does the Novobelgian aster look like?

There are many species of Aster Symphyotrichum Novi belgii, many of which are easily recognizable by their numerous flower baskets that resemble stars.

Aster differs from its large-flowered relatives in winter hardiness. She winters well in temperate latitudes, where there are severe frosts.

Short description:

• aster forms a dense bush with densely branched shoots, there are tall varieties above a meter in height and undersized, with shoots up to 30 cm;
• stems are erect, branching from ½ height;
• leaves are lanceolate, petiolate;
• inflorescences are formed in the form of a basket with a diameter of 2-3 cm, ligulate flowers are located at the edges, tubular in the center;
• the wrapper of the bud is dense;
• seeds are small, dark.

New Belgian aster

Astra Ballard or Virginia is a type of the family of Asteraceae herbaceous shrubs of the genus Aster.

In the wild, the plant is found on all continents. Presumably, the reproduction of the culture began in North America; Asia is mentioned in other sources. It is believed that the plant was brought to Europe by Catholic monks from France traveling in China. Flower breeding began in the 17th century. New species resistant to frost are still appearing.

White Lady grade

cornflower

Among garden flowers, it is not easy to find one that surpasses the cornflower, having petals of a purer and deeper blue than its. And it's not for nothing that there is a shade of blue called cornflower blue.

Cornflower. Buddy burst

In the wild, cornflowers can most often be found in rye fields, but in gardens you have not often seen it lately. To some growers, this plant seems rustic. Nevertheless, the cornflower has a special charm, and in modern varieties you can find inflorescences of very different colors (pink, white, purple), and some varieties even have maroon, almost black flowers.

In addition, undersized compact varieties that do not exceed 25 centimeters have appeared on sale, in contrast to the widespread high varieties reaching 60 centimeters.

Cornflowers are very easy to grow, they can be sown in the garden directly into the ground and only once, and they will reproduce on their own. Cornflowers bloom from June to September, but they manifest themselves best in the absence of extreme heat (in early summer and early autumn).

Growing rules

It is not difficult to grow a perennial shrub aster, because the plant is unpretentious, it requires the simplest care and a minimum of attention from the grower. The most important thing is to choose the right place for the flowers. Asters love the sun, but cannot tolerate extreme heat and drought.

It is better to propagate perennial varieties by dividing the bush. It is preferable to do this in the spring, so that the flowers have time for acclimatization and development of the root system. The planting scheme depends on the height of the asters: undersized varieties are planted at intervals of 20-30 cm, the tallest bushes are no thicker than 50-80 cm.

Important! In one place, bush asters grow for 4-6 years, after which they need to be separated and rejuvenated. Caring for perennials is as follows:

Caring for perennials is as follows:

1. Regular watering during dry periods and more frequent irrigation at the stage of active growth of green mass.
2. Gentle loosening of the soil between waterings or mulching, which is safer, since the root system of asters is shallow.
3. Infrequent feeding with rotted manure, bird droppings or peat, mineral fertilizers with an emphasis on phosphorus (you need to fertilize flowers once a year, starting from the second year of life).
4. Annual liming of acidic soil (lime is simply poured onto a bush cut before winter).
5. Tying tall varieties and spreading shrubs.
6. Pinching the tops of the shoots allows for more abundant flowering.
7. Pruning asters before wintering - the stems are shortened to 10-15 cm.

Attention! In the northern regions, it is better to insulate perennial asters and cover the roots with a thick layer of peat, humus or sawdust. Low-growing varieties can be covered with coniferous spruce branches

Aster care

Asters require little care and are unpretentious. It is enough that the land is properly prepared during planting, then leaving will not be difficult. The root system in a comfortable environment will begin active growth, and a beautiful flowering will not be long in coming.

Do not forget about applying dressings at least once a season in order to get abundant flowering and the land does not become scarce. Moderate watering and loosening of the flower bed must also be observed.

Pruning and garter

If the bush is tall, it must be tied up, otherwise the shoots will fall and break, and it will lose its charm.

When the first buds fade and begin to fade, they must be removed. This will promote the formation of new kidneys.

Top dressing and fertilization

Asters grow well when fertilized with organic compost. In the spring and during the flowering period, the compost can be mixed with the soil around the plant.

Watering

Perennials need moderate, moist soil, so they need to be watered as they dry out, especially during the flowering period.

Attention, care in the garden should be in moderation, excessive watering is dangerous by decay of the roots. ... Helpful Hint: Mulching the soil around the plant will prevent weeds and retain moisture in the ground.

Helpful Hint: Mulching the soil around the plant will prevent weeds and retain moisture in the ground.

Bloom

Aster flowers are like a real work of art. The peduncle is represented by a narrow core, which is wrapped around the outer leaves resembling the shape of rays. The buds flaunt with their bright colors: from white, pink, lilac, to the usual purple colors.

Depending on the variety and family, flowering may occur in autumn, or it may not stop all summer. Perennial varieties bloom from year to year, for a very long time, with the exception of Chinese varieties.

Seed collection

From mid-summer to late autumn, flower stalks can ripen, it all depends on the variety.Self-seeding is weak, usually the bolls do not fall by themselves and are not sown.

To collect the ripe seeds, you need to wait until the plant has completely bloomed and, by cutting off the wilted bud in the middle, you can find fluff. Place it in a paper bag until it is completely dry and do not forget to sign.

Annual seeds are distinguished by better germination than older seeds, 2 or more years of storage.

The most common undersized aster varieties:

It is not recommended to fertilize asters with fresh manure. It is imperative to change the landing sites of the aster every year or the soil in the boxes (except for the Alpine aster). You can not plant an aster after gladioli, tomatoes, as they have similar diseases.

Faded inflorescences, dried leaves and diseased plants should be removed. At the end of the season, in September-October, some of the faded inflorescences can be left for seeds. After the cannon appears on the inflorescence, the seeds are collected and used for planting the next year.

Euphorbia edged

To many, this annual flower is known under the popular name "bride".Indeed, what else can you compare these lush snow-white bushes with if not with a girl in a wedding dress.

Euphorbia fringed. lemiepiante

From a distance, it may seem that the plant has very large flowers, consisting of many white-green petals. However, this is not quite true. Like most milkweed, the inflorescences of the "bride" themselves are very small and inconspicuous, and the leaves bordering them are of decorative value. In the edged milkweed, they are attractive with a wide, bright white border.

For this type of milkweed, winter sowing or sowing of seeds in the ground is practiced in early May, then flowering begins in July and continues until frost. The "bride" is unpretentious and hardy, in the garden it is better for her to choose sunny places without stagnant water.

"White Tower"

What are its features? This variety differs from other members of the Compositae family for its excellent decorative properties. The bushes of the white peony aster can reach a height of 50 to 70 centimeters. They are very curvy. The average crown diameter is 40 cm, making the plant well suited for decorative pruning. The buds have a hemispherical or perfectly round shape. As you might guess from the name, they have a pure white color. One bush can have up to 12 shoots, which are densely covered with buds during the flowering period.

The flowering period of the white tower peony aster is intense and long, for which this variety has gained its popularity among many gardeners. It starts in early July and lasts right through to mid-September. The plant is unpretentious in care and cultivation, so its cultivation does not require a lot of physical and time costs. More details about this will be discussed later.

Annuals

Among the abundance of various species of the phlox family, there are many perennial representatives and only one annual is the Drummond phlox, named after the botanist who brought it from America to Europe 300 years ago. The latter is the most outstanding in beauty, but also the most fastidious in terms of climatic conditions and more demanding in terms of content.

The annual species has about a dozen varieties, radically different from each other in color and shape. Sometimes it is even difficult to believe that these flowers belong to the same species. Inflorescence panicles are dense and sparse. The diameter of each flower does not exceed 20 mm, but the panicles themselves reach up to 150 mm in diameter.

This species is characterized by a variety of petals: from rounded to star-shaped with a fringe. With proper care, the density of the flowers creates a crown that completely covers the stem and leaves, creating the illusion of the unity of all flowers in the inflorescence. In central Russia, this phlox blooms from late spring to October and is destroyed only by the first frosts.

Under natural conditions, the Drummond phlox bushes reach a height of 0.5 m, but more often growers use varieties bred by breeders that grow no more than 25 cm.The root system, located almost on the surface, is very thin and vulnerable, which must be taken into account when caring for the plant ...

This type includes the following most common varieties, which differ in the color of the petals:

• red: "Beauty Scarlet", "Beauty Crimpson";
• coral: "Chanel";
• white: "Snow", "Snow globe", "White charm";
• blue: "Blue frost", "Sailor", "Blue sky", "Blue";
• pink: "Prima Donna", "21st century" - light pink;
• yellow: "Sunny Bunny", "Lemon Miracle", "Edmond";
• multi-colored: "Merry Gnome", "Renaissance", "Spring", "Beautiful Gnome", "Fragrant Cloud";

Annual low phloxes are usually grown from seed. When planting, it must be borne in mind that healthy shoots will germinate only if the seeds are placed on the surface of the soil in the light.

Features of growing a plant

Aster heather does not belong to capricious crops, it is unpretentious in care and can grow in almost any conditions.However, there are requirements that it is desirable to fulfill in order for the plant to fully develop and please the eye:

Asters like to grow in open sunny areas or where there is a slight partial shade.
In order for the heather aster to bloom profusely and develop well, it is necessary to create conditions that are as similar as possible to natural ones.
You can not plant a flower in highly shaded areas. In this case, the plant will be painful, and parasites will begin to attack it.
Almost any type of soil is suitable for growing a wild plant variety, except for marshy, saline and heavy soil.
If cultivated aster heather is grown, planting and caring for it should be more careful. For this variety, you need to choose the right soil.

Ideally, it should be loamy, fertilized, moderately moist, it is equally important to ensure good drainage.
If the soil on the site does not contain trace elements necessary for normal growth, organic fertilizers must be applied before planting. This can be humus or compost.
When planting in spring, it is advisable to add nitrogen fertilizers (20 g) to the soil, this will accelerate the growth of the plant.
The most common way to reproduce flowers is by dividing

Planting the plant is best in the spring. Delenki quickly take root and begin to bloom by autumn. The disadvantage of planting in autumn is that not all seedlings have time to take root. The onset of early frosts can lead to the death of an immature plant.

These flowers do not require complex maintenance. Astra ground cover heather is picky, but still, in order for the plant to be healthy and beautiful, efforts should be made. Regular watering is important for her, but it needs to be carried out exclusively with settled warm water. Periodically, you need to apply mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil, they stimulate the growth of the plant. Weeding and loosening should be done as needed. Although aster heather is not very susceptible to diseases and various pests, prevention will not harm it.

It is important to remember that poor soil moisture and a lack of fertilizers lead to the fact that the leaves of the flower quickly turn yellow and wither. This reduces the frost-resistant and decorative properties of the plant.

Reproduction

Depending on the species and variety, reproduction is carried out from seeds and vegetatively. Usually, seeds are propagated very rarely and only annual varieties. Perennial bushes are exposed to the vegetative method - dividing a bush or root.

Root division

As a rule, in early spring, when it is noticeable that the bush has already formed, and has a sufficient number of stems. It is necessary to cut through several shoots with a sharp bayonet shovel together with the root system. Thus, separate and plant the cut of the bush. There should be from 3 to 5 new shoots in the carve-up.

Cuttings

Varietal species are propagated by chenki. Cuttings are placed in specially prepared beds, under a film and always in a shaded place. The soil should be loose with the addition of peat and sand.

Cutting is carried out in different ways:

• In spring, fresh shoots are separated from the bush. The shoot should have 3 leaves and two internodes.
• From June to August, when the bush has already gained growth. Use apical cuttings from 7 cm long.

Sowing seeds

The seeds are not sown deeply, about 4 cm into the ground. The earth is well spilled with water and buried. From above, you can mulch the soil to keep moisture in the soil. If the weather is cool, then before sunrise and the formation of leaves, the flower bed is covered with a covering material.

After full germination and formation of the stem, it is necessary to thin out the bed, leaving more than 10 cm between the holes. Excess shoots can be planted.

Sowing time

The time for sowing can be determined depending on the principle of cultivation. The main thing is to sow in spring in order to admire the beautiful bouquet of flowers in summer and autumn.

In early spring, in March or late April, seeds can be sown in seedlings, in pots, or in growing boxes. And in May, when the frosts have already passed, it is already possible to sow directly into open ground.