Asters have been very popular with flower growers since ancient times. The mention of this amazing flower, similar to an asterisk, can be found in ancient treatises.
This herbaceous plant belongs to the Compositae or Astrov family. There are a large number of varieties and varieties of this amazing flower. In the article we will present various asters, photos of flowers and a description of the most popular varieties.
Description
Asters of various species and varieties have simple leaves, and inflorescences are represented by baskets collected in panicles or corymbs. Flowers come in different colors, bushes of different heights and shapes. There are annual and perennial asters.
Regardless of the type and variety, plants are distinguished by a long flowering period, excellent resistance to adverse conditions, drought and frost resistance. The beauty of asters, the variety of colors attracts landscape designers.
Classification
To understand which varieties of asters to choose for your flower garden, you need to get acquainted with the classification according to various criteria.
Height
Before sowing, you need to know the height of the plants, the place of planting depends on it:
- dwarf – no higher than 25 cm;
- undersized – about 35-40 cm;
- medium height – no higher than 65 cm;
- high – no more than 80 cm;
- giant – above 80 cm.
Form
Among the variety of species and varieties, bushes of the following forms are distinguished:
- pyramidal;
- columnar;
- oval;
- wide spreading;
- wide dense.
Terms of flowering
When planning flower beds and flower beds, you need to consider when the plants begin to bloom. In this case, you can create paradises in the garden with continuous flowering:
- Early flowering. Flowering begins in May, from the moment of germination it takes from 83 to 106 days.
- With medium shoots of flowering or summer asters. After planting, 107-120 days pass, the time for the appearance of buds is mid-July.
- Late flowering. The mass appearance of buds is the end of August. You need to plant seeds very early, asters begin to bloom three, three and a half months after germination.
Bush structure
When choosing varieties and planting asters, you need to take into account the characteristics of the bush. Otherwise, the flower beds will look untidy. Bushes are:
- weakly branched;
- highly branched;
- compact;
- raskidistymi.
The shape and size of the inflorescences
Dimensions:
- Small. Flowers less than 4 cm in diameter.
- average. Baskets up to 8 cm.
- Large. With a diameter of inflorescences from 9 to 11 cm.
- Giant. Baskets are large, more than 12 cm in diameter.
The inflorescences themselves can be:
- tubular;
- transitional, consist of tubules and tongues;
- reed, they either completely lack tubular flowers, or they are located in the very center, but they are not visible due to overgrown reed petals.
There are also:
- flat;
- flat-round;
- hemispherical;
- spherical;
- simple;
- semi-double;
- terry;
- densely doubled.
appointment
A wide variety of species and varieties of asters allows you to grow them for different purposes. By appointment, flowers are divided into the following groups:
- Tall plants with long peduncles and large flowers are most often grown for the purpose of marketing, they are intended for cutting to make bouquets.
- Dwarf and undersized asters, on which there are always many small inflorescences that form a ball in shape, are grown as a decorative decoration of the garden.
- Universal varieties of asters are usually compact, but with long peduncles. Their baskets are of medium size, so they are grown not only for decorative decoration of flower beds, but also for cutting.
The color palette
It is not possible to classify asters by color, because the petals of annual flowers can be of the most diverse colors:
- white and red;
- blue and purple;
- lilac and lilac;
- salmon and cream;
- yellow and cream;
- carmine, bi-color and even tri-color.
perennial asters
Perennial asters come in a variety of heights and colors. Tall plants are planted in separate flower beds, and dwarf varieties look very good in rockeries and alpine slides, as hedges.
Garden decoration – perennial aster:
Consider the types of perennials.
New Belgian (Virgin) asters
The size of this species varies from 30 to 150 cm, used for autumn garden decoration. The inflorescences of perennial asters are small, no more than three centimeters. The stems of the species are thin, but strong, branch well, forming a dense bush. Therefore, asters are used for border decoration.
They begin to bloom only in early September. That is why perennials of the species in the middle lane and in the zone of risky farming are very difficult to grow.
Common varieties of the species:
- Marie Ballard – a variety with blue flowers. The bushes are vigorous, up to 95 cm. Flowering is long, up to 60 days. Great for cutting and arranging bouquets.
- Violetta is a compact shrub with blue-violet flowers. The variety is usually planted in the foreground of the flower garden.
- The White Lady has reed petals that are white or light purple. The flowers themselves are small. The bush grows up to one and a half meters. Looks good in group plantings.
- Ada Ballard with regular lavender-blue flowers, up to 95 cm high.
New England (American) asters
Asters of this species are distinguished by lush flowering and branching. Plants bloom from September until frost. The inflorescences are not too large, 3-4 cm in diameter. They are densely red and blue, pink and dark purple, dark purple and blue.
Among flower growers, such varieties of asters are popular (photos are presented for clarity):
- Constance. Tall variety with inflorescences collected in a brush. The flowers are dark purple, the core of the yellow-red color is covered with thick narrow petals. Plants form a real purple-green carpet.
- Bars Pink. Tall asters up to one and a half meters in height. The bush is lush with a lot of branches. The inflorescences are carpal, about 4 cm in diameter. The flowers are of two types: flowering carmine, and tubular yellow in the center. They look beautiful both in single plantings and in combination with other colors. Suitable for cutting.
Italian asters
Representatives of this type of asters, look at the photo, regardless of the variety, if you remove the color palette, they look like daisies.
The bushes are medium-sized, 60-70 cm high. The first inflorescences appear in July, a flower with a diameter of 4 to 5 cm. Petals with a rich color palette: pink, purple, blue, light blue, lavender or lilac.
The best varieties of Italian asters are called:
- Dwarf – a mixture of aster seeds of various colors. The bushes have the shape of a ball, on which large densely double inflorescences bloom in large numbers (diameter from 5 to 7 cm). Asters are undersized no higher than 20 cm in height. Flowering begins in July and continues until frost. It is advisable to plant the variety mixture in the sun, in extreme cases, light partial shade. Rain and wind do not affect the decorativeness of the bushes. Plants grow well in pots, on the balcony in boxes.
- Herman Lehne – a variety with abundant flowering. Reed petals light purple.
- Rose variety with double petals and a basket about 4 cm in diameter. The reed petals are pink, and the tubular petals are light brown. Flowering for more than a month and a half. Suitable for making bouquets, compositions.
- Heinrich Seibert with reed flowers in a light pink hue.
- Thomson is a short aster, about 45 cm high. Flowering is long from July until the first frost. Differs in blue inflorescences and gray leaves.
- Asters with lavender-blue flowers grow up to 75 cm. The delicate inflorescences bloom alternately, so new flowers always appear on the plant. This is a hybrid created on the basis of the Thompson variety and the Italian aster.
Asters dwarf alpine
Alpine asters have creeping stems, so they are often grown as ground cover plants. Plant height is from 10 to 40 cm. The leaves are small, even inconspicuous, but during the flowering of rockeries, borders or alpine slides are painted with bright colors.
In inflorescences, depending on the variety, large or small buds open. The color palette is so diverse that it is simply impossible to list all the shades:
- dark purple and red-pink;
- dark purple and dark blue;
- white and pink, as well as various shades of the listed colors.
We will present some of the most popular varieties with descriptions and photos:
- Dunkle Schone is a bush aster. Fluffy flowers, resembling a chamomile in shape, are medium in size, only 3 cm in diameter. The petals are reed, dark purple in color, and the middle is bright yellow, like the sun. The variety is frost-resistant, it is most often planted on an alpine hill, and also combined in flower beds with other plants.
- Rosea is a long-flowering representative of the alpine asters. From June until the first frosts, pale pink reed petals delight the eye, framing a tubular brown core. And the flower itself (look at the photo) really looks like a wild rose flower. Hence, apparently, the name.
- Goliath. The leaves are green, elongated, tightly seated on the stem. Variety with pale purple flowers. Flowering is short, only a month, inflorescences are large baskets up to 6 cm in diameter. The main use is rockeries, alpine slides.
- Superbus is also a short variety of alpine asters, they grow up to a maximum of 20 cm in height. The flowers are semi-double, 3,5 cm in diameter. These are blue “daisies” of summer flowering.
- Alba. Asters with dense bushes about 40 cm high, well leafy. Leaf blades are green, elongated. The variety is semi-double, represented by snow-white flowers (diameter 3 cm) with petals resembling a bird’s tongue. The middle of the yellow tubular petals.
Here she is, my alpine:
Tibetan and Natalen asters
These types of asters are practically unknown to s. Both varieties have blue baskets. The flowering of Tibetan asters is plentiful. Anderson’s variety is the smallest representative of aster, its height is from 5 to 8 cm.
Can be propagated by seeds, cuttings or dividing the bush.
annual asters
Astrov, grown in an annual culture, today there are more than 600 species. They have a different height, color palette, differ in size and shape of inflorescences. Among them you can find simple baskets, terry and semi-double.
According to the shape of the flower, annual varieties of asters (photo below) are:
- Needle
- Chrysanthemum
- Pompoms
- Spherical
- Peony
- Rose-shaped
Popular varieties
It is almost impossible to tell about all the varieties of annual (Chinese) asters, indicating the names and providing a photo, in one article. We will try to name the most common plants.
Galaxy
A variety of bouquet type with a height of about 70 cm. It has up to 24 branches with large terry needle-shaped inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter. Flowering from July to August. The color palette is varied. Tall plants are planted either singly or in flower beds in combination with lower plants. Great choice for cutting.
dwarf
The inflorescences are peony-shaped, white, the height of a compact bush is from 25 to 35 cm. The diameter of the flowers is 5-7 cm. The flower stalks are long, they stand for a long time in the cut, so they are grown not only to decorate the garden, but also for bouquets. The plant feels good in pots, on balconies and loggias.
Symphony
Asters variety tall up to one meter. The leaves are oval, deep green. Inflorescences are terry, spherical. Red-purple flowers with a white border about 9 cm in diameter are located on long stems up to 60 cm high. Flowering is plentiful, long-lasting. The variety is recommended for cutting.
Oktyabrina
Bush asters of medium height (about 45 cm) of summer flowering. Each plant produces 9-11 inflorescences of dark carmine flowers. The outer row consists of reed petals, the inner one is represented by tubular petals. Inflorescences are large, no more than 8 cm.
Gala
This variety has the shape of a pyramid, grows up to 80 cm. The inflorescences are large, densely double. Flowers up to 12 cm in diameter. Blooms in August and September. The color of the buds is rich: red, pink, beige, purple and intermediate shades.
Snow White
Colon-shaped plants up to 70 cm high. Inflorescences are terry and densely double. Snow-white flowers are large, about 12 cm in diameter. Flowering is abundant for at least two months. Asters practically do not suffer from fusarium. Recommended for planting in flower beds among other plants, as well as for cutting. They stay in bouquets for a long time.
Lady Coral
This variety is also resistant to Fusarium. Inflorescences are located on long stems. On one branch (see photo) a large number of flowers bloom, so it looks like a bouquet. Large buds from 16 to 17 cm in diameter come in various colors:
- white and yellow;
- pink and red;
- cream, blue and purple.
They look great both in single plantings and among other garden plants. Preservation in the bouquet is excellent, so the variety is grown for cutting.
Excellent Ruckley
Spectacular asters, which, unlike other varieties of asters, have two or even three colors on one flower. Inflorescences are flat-round, with long reed petals 4-8 cm in diameter. The middle of tubular flowers with a bright yellow tint.
Cloudlet
A variety of universal purpose, grown both for creating the original design of flower beds, and for making bouquets. The bushes are semi-sprawling, quite high – from 70 to 75 cm in height. Astram is not afraid of changing climatic conditions, they rarely suffer from fusarium.
The inflorescences are semi-double, about 10 cm in diameter. The name itself already speaks of the color of the buds. Snow-white flowers, reminiscent of a bride’s head in a veil, will appeal to even the most sophisticated lovers of garden plants.
Suliko
Of course, it is impossible not to describe another representative of the Astrov family, the Suliko variety. This columnar plant with densely double inflorescences grows up to 70 cm. The buds are blue-violet, consist of reed and tubular petals. The diameter of the flower is not less than 10 cm. The variety belongs to plants with medium late flowering, which lasts more than two months. A real decoration of the garden, these asters in a bouquet are no less attractive.
To summarize
Choosing the right asters is both simple and difficult due to the huge range. Each grower who decides to plant these amazing flowers, similar to daisies or stars, will be able to choose plants for the garden based on the height of the bush, the size and color of the buds. You can create any compositions in the flower beds. That is why asters attract landscape designers.