Alpine aster perennial ground cover: growing from seeds, planting

Fluffy green bushes of perennial alpine aster with charming flower baskets, as in the photo, please with a variety of shades from early summer until autumn, and the availability of planting and care allows you to grow them even on stony soils.

Cultivated back in the XNUMXth century, the alpine aster is indispensable in landscape design – when decorating the foot of slides, edging curbs, to enliven compositions with other plants.

Flower characteristic

Alpine aster belongs to the ground cover perennial plants that attract gardeners with excellent decorative qualities. Due to the horizontal growth of the roots, they form a bright grassy carpet that prevents the growth of weeds and protects the soil from drying out.

Erect, pubescent shoots of alpine aster grow from a horizontally branching root and end with a single basket inflorescence at a height of about 5 to 40 cm. The diameter of the flower varies from 3 to 6 cm. The leaves are bright green in color, small in size. With sufficient light, the alpine perennial ground cover aster forms voluminous bushes that remain green, even leaving under the snow.

Alpine perennial aster, as the photo shows, looks like a chamomile – in the center of the flower there is a fluffy yellow circle, from which delicate petals diverge radially. Perennial aster flowers captivate with their gentle, discreet beauty, which is set off by the rich green of their leaves.

The attractiveness of alpine herbaceous aster for growing in gardens and summer cottages is explained by its qualities:

• long flowering period;
• simple rules of care;
• a variety of shades – from white to deep purple;
• the possibilities of combining perennial aster with other colors.

Corta

The alpine aster flower genus is widespread in various regions of the Northern Hemisphere and has up to two and a half hundred different species, among which there are annual and perennial. But many species of semi-shrub asters grow only in the south of the African continent. Alpine aster varieties differ in flowering time, range of shades, calyx sizes. The most popular of them include the following.

White Alps

A variety of perennial alpine aster, attractive with compact green bushes, which are crowned with caps of wonderful snow-white flowers. They look great in any composition.

Albus

It belongs to the varieties of white alpine aster – low, up to 15-20 cm, stems with white flower baskets resembling chamomile stand out against the background of lush green foliage.

Astra Blue

An alpine perennial with charming blue petals, inside of which a yellow circle stands out as a bright terry spot. The flowers are relatively large and reach a diameter of 8 cm, and the bushes grow up to half a meter, forming a lush carpet along the borders. The variety has a long flowering.

Illyria

A variety of alpine aster with chamomile-shaped flower cups of various shades that look great on rocky hills. Refers to winter-hardy varieties. When grown from seeds, the bushes bloom in the second year.

Aster Alpine Pink

Considered one of the best perennials. It prefers sunny areas, but also blooms in semi-shady places, throwing out pink inflorescences with a diameter of up to 4 cm. It belongs to early-flowering varieties – budding begins in May.

Aster Alpine Blue

It belongs to undersized perennials with large flowers – up to 6 cm in diameter. Their rich blue color casts a slight violet, and elongated leaves at the base of the roots form a lush green rosette.

Gloria

One of the best undersized perennials of alpine aster with small blue flowers, up to 3 cm in diameter.

Goliath is distinguished by larger flowers of purple hues. Blooms all June.

Rosea

Herbaceous perennial aster alpine with small pink inflorescences. Bushes grow rapidly and require frequent transplantation with division.

Astra Perennial Blend

It is used to obtain mixed shades in the design of various flower arrangements. Differs in larger semi-double inflorescences of bright colors.

Peculiarities of growing

Astra alpine perennial is characterized as an extremely unpretentious herbaceous plant for open ground. However, in order to obtain a long and massive flowering, it is desirable to provide it with favorable conditions:

• with good lighting, the bushes of the alpine aster will grow and acquire lush, voluminous forms;
• ensuring soil drainage increases plant survival;
• the period of mass flowering requires more abundant watering;
• some types of asters, especially tall ones, need systematic feeding;
• at the onset of autumn frosts, the bush is cut to the root collar;
• during spring pruning of alpine aster, frozen branches are also removed at the same time;
• if part of the root system is exposed, the plant should be transplanted or sprinkled with earth;
• some rapidly degenerating species of asters need to be periodically seated, separating the healthy parts;
• in the south and in the middle lane, plants hibernate without shelter, in more northern regions they are covered with spruce branches or dry moss.

Seed cultivation

In a temperate climate, the seeds of alpine aster can be sown immediately in open ground in early April and covered with foil. After a few weeks, sprouts will appear that can be transplanted into a flower bed. At the end of summer, the first flowers will appear on the green bushes. And next year they will demonstrate massive abundant flowering. It is better to cut the buds on young bushes of alpine aster in the first year, as flowering will negatively affect their wintering and subsequent development.

Many gardeners sow alpine aster seeds in late autumn in slightly frozen soil. Seeds are poured into the grooves and sprinkled with earth, and in the spring green shoots appear from them. In order to prevent thickening of plantings, already grown bushes are seated.

Seedbed method

It is possible to grow seedlings of perennial alpine aster from seeds and at home, and then transplant it to a permanent place. In this case:

• sowing dates are postponed to the end of February or March;
• soil is prepared from garden soil, mixed half with rotted manure, or a ready-made flower substrate is taken;
• substrate boxes must have drainage holes;
• Alpine aster seeds should be buried in the soil no more than 1-1,5 cm or simply placed on the surface and sprinkled with a layer of loose earth;
• moisten moderately, making sure that a crust does not form on the surface of the soil;
• put containers with perennial aster plantings on the south windows to provide good lighting;
• after the appearance of the first shoots, the temperature in the room must be reduced to 16-18 degrees, otherwise the sprouts will stretch;
• aster diving is carried out with the appearance of 3-4 true leaves;
• you can grow perennial seedlings without picking, if you plant aster seeds in separate cups;
• with the onset of heat, seedlings are gradually hardened;
• at the beginning of summer, plantings can be transferred to open ground, previously disinfected with a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

An interesting and unusual method of growing alpine aster is sowing seeds in boiling water. It allows you to speed up the emergence of seedlings. The substrate prepared for planting perennial aster seeds is filled in a plastic container with a transparent lid. Flower seeds are placed on the surface of the soil in several rows. Then they spill the soil with aster crops with ground cover boiling water, then close the container with a lid and put it in a warm place. Tender seedlings of flowers hatch very quickly, after which the lid must be opened. The box is placed on the windowsill, and after the appearance of 3-4 leaves, the seedlings dive.

Reproduction by cuttings

If, when propagating an alpine perennial aster, it is required to preserve all parental characteristics, cuttings are the best way. This procedure is available even to novice gardeners, if you follow some simple recommendations:

• for cutting cuttings, you need to choose healthy and strong specimens of the alpine perennial;
• young shoots are cut into pieces so that each cutting has 3 leaves;
• slices are treated with a stimulant – some gardeners advise using succinic acid for root development;
• ground cover aster cuttings are planted in a special soil prepared from a mixture of soddy soil, peat and sand;
• in order to accelerate the rooting of the cuttings, they are covered with a film;
• the soil is moistened in moderation, avoiding drying out and excess water;
• every day the plantings are ventilated by opening the film;
• after 2-3 weeks, when the cuttings take root, the film can be removed.

The accustomed bushes of the alpine perennial aster at the end of summer or in September can already be transplanted to their permanent place.

Division of the bush

Many gardeners prefer to propagate the alpine perennial aster by dividing the bush, considering it the simplest and most effective. The operation can be carried out throughout the season – from the beginning of summer until September. After the start of active growth of the plant, a part of the bush is carefully separated along with the root and transplanted to a new place. Simultaneously with the transplant, weak and dried shoots of the perennial aster are removed. A site for planting a ground cover aster should not be chosen in a lowland so that water does not stagnate on it, otherwise the roots of the flowers will start to hurt and rot. Well-dug loams are considered the best option. Poor soils should be fertilized with organic matter and limed to increase the calcium content. Marigolds and marigolds are useful for ground cover asters in the flowerbed.

Flower care

Although perennial alpine aster can grow and bloom in one place from 5 to 7 years, the period of up to 3-4 years is considered the optimal period for rapid development and flowering. After that, the flowering of asters is slowly declining. In order for the alpine perennial to demonstrate lush flowering for a long time, you must follow simple rules:

• drying out or waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed – watering should be uniform, and water should be settled;
• regularly get rid of weeds that take a significant part of the nutrients from the soil;
• remove already faded aster flowers;
• periodic loosening will provide the plants with the necessary drainage – it should be shallow so as not to damage the flower roots;
• hilling the bushes will help strengthen the root system of the herbaceous aster;
• aster responds well to top dressing, they are especially important during the period of plant growth and budding;
• in the spring, from the flower beds where the perennial asters wintered, it is necessary to quickly remove the snow so that water stagnation does not occur, which is detrimental to their roots.

Protection against diseases

Astra alpine perennial has good resistance to many diseases, however, unfavorable growing conditions can cause damage to plants by powdery mildew or Fusarium. When the first signs of pathology occur, it is necessary to remove the affected parts of the plants and destroy them, and treat the perennial aster bushes with antifungal drugs or Bordeaux liquid.

Insect pests can also appear on plants – spider mites, caterpillars or slugs, for protection against which various means are also used. The treatment of aster flowers with ash or soap solutions is effective. But the best prevention of diseases is to provide comfortable conditions for the development of the flower.

Application in landscape design

The wonderful decorative properties of the perennial alpine aster, the variety of colors make it indispensable in landscape design:

• when creating a background for alpine slides;
• colorful groups of perennial aster in rockeries;
• for edging borders and garden paths;
• for planting in flower beds in combination with other flowers;
• to create a bright living carpet from a perennial aster on the site;
• landings along the banks of garden ponds.

Alpine aster is a wonderful perennial, pleasing with its decorative effect, brightness, variety of colors and allowing you to form flower beds of unique beauty.