Asters have been very popular with flower growers since ancient times. The mention of this amazing flower, which looks like an asterisk, can be found in ancient treatises.
This herbaceous plant belongs to the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. There are many 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 types and varieties have simple leaves, and the inflorescences are represented by baskets collected in panicles or shields. Flowers come in different colors, bushes of different heights and shapes. There are annual and perennial asters.
Regardless of the type and variety of plants, they have a long flowering period, they perfectly resist adverse conditions, are drought and frost-resistant. 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-sized - no higher than 65 cm;
- high - no more than 80 cm;
- giant - above 80 cm.
The form
Among the variety of species and varieties, bushes of the following forms are distinguished:
- pyramidal;
- columnar;
- oval;
- wide spreading;
- wide dense.
Flowering time
When planning flower beds and flower beds, it is necessary to consider when the plants begin to bloom. In this case, you can create in the garden corners of paradise with continuous flowering:
- Early flowering. Flowering begins in May, from the moment of germination takes from 83 to 106 days.
- With medium flowering or summer asters. After planting, 107-120 days pass, the time of bud appearance is mid-July.
- Late flowering. Mass appearance of buds - 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;
- strongly branched;
- compact;
- spreading.
The shape and size of the inflorescences
Dimensions:
- Small... Flowers with diameters less than 4 cm.
- 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 reeds;
- ligulate, they either completely lack tubular flowers, or they are located in the very center, but they are not visible due to overgrown reed petals.
Distinguish also:
- flat;
- flat-round;
- hemispherical;
- spherical;
- simple;
- semi-double;
- terry;
- thick double.
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 garden decoration.
- The versatile varieties of asters are usually compact, but with long peduncles. Their baskets are medium in size, so they are grown not only for decorative decoration of flower beds, but also for cutting.
Color palette
There is no way to classify asters by color, because the petals of annual flowers can be of the most varied colors:
- white and red;
- blue and purple;
- purple and lilac;
- salmon and cream;
- yellow and cream;
- carmine, two-color and even three-color.
Perennial asters
Perennial asters come in various heights and colors. Tall plants are planted in separate flower beds, and dwarf varieties look very good in rockeries and alpine hills, as hedges.
Garden decoration - perennial aster:
Consider the types of perennials.
New Belgian (Virginian) asters
The sizes of this species vary from 30 to 150 cm and are used for autumn garden decoration. 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 it is very difficult to grow perennials of the species in the middle lane and in the zone of risky farming.
Common varieties of the species:
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Marie Ballard is a blue-flowered cultivar. The bushes are vigorous, up to 95 cm long. Flowering is long, up to 60 days. An excellent option for cutting and making bouquets.
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Violetta is a compact bush with blue-violet flowers. The variety is usually planted in the foreground of a flower garden.
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The White Lady has white or light purple reed petals. The flowers themselves are small in size. The bush grows up to one and a half meters. Looks good in group plantings.
- Ada Ballard with the usual 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 to the very frost. The inflorescences are not too large, 3-4 cm in diameter. They are deep red and blue, pink and dark purple, dark purple and blue.
Among flower growers, the following varieties of asters are popular (for clarity, photos are presented):
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Constgans. Tall variety with clusters of clusters. The flowers are dark purple, the core of the yellow-red color is covered with dense narrow petals. Plants form a real purple-green carpet.
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Bars Pink. Tall asters up to one and a half meters in height. Lush bush with many branches. The inflorescences are racemose, about 4 cm in diameter. The flowers are of two types: floral 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 aster, look at the photo, regardless of the variety, if you remove the color palette, they look like chamomile.
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, blue, lavender or lilac.
The best varieties of Italian asters are called:
- Gnome is a mixture of aster seeds of various colors. The bushes are in 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 of light partial shade. Rain and wind do not affect the decorative effect of the bushes. Plants grow well in pots, on the balcony in boxes.
- Herman Lena is a variety with abundant flowering. Reed petals are light purple in color.
- Variety Rose with double petals and a basket with a diameter of about 4 cm. The reed petals are pink, and the tubular ones are light brown. Flowering for more than one and a half months. Suitable for making bouquets, compositions.
- Heinrich Seibert with reed flowers in a light pink shade.
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Thomson is a low-growing aster, height about 45 cm. Long-lasting flowering from July until the first frost. Differs in blue inflorescences and gray leaves.
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Freakart asters with lavender-blue flowers grow up to 75 cm. Refined inflorescences bloom alternately, so new flowers always appear on the plant. It is a hybrid based on the Thompson variety and the Italian aster.
Alpine dwarf asters
Alpine asters have creeping stems, so they are often grown as ground cover plants. The height of the plants is from 10 to 40 cm. The leaves are small, even inconspicuous, but during the flowering of rockeries, curbs or alpine hills 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 reddish 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:
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Dunkle Schone is a bush aster. Fluffy, daisy-shaped flowers of medium size, only 3 cm in diameter. The petals are ligulate, dark purple in color, and the center 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.
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Rosea is a long-flowering representative of the Alpine asters. From June to the first frost, delicate pink reed petals framing a tubular brown core delight the eye. And the flower itself (look at the photo) really looks like a wild rose flower. Hence, apparently, the name.
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Goliath. Leaves are green, elongated, sitting tightly 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.
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Superbus is also a low-growing 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 bloom.
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Alba. Asters with dense bushes about 40 cm high, well leafy. The 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. Center of yellow tubular petals.
Here she is, my alpine:
Tibetan and natal asters
These types of asters are practically unknown for Russians. Both varieties have blue baskets. The flowering of Tibetan asters is abundant. Anderson's variety is the smallest representative of the aster, its height is from 5 to 8 cm.
Can be propagated by seeds, cuttings or by dividing a bush.
Annual asters
There are more than 600 species of asteraceae grown in an annual culture. They have different heights, color palette, different sizes and shapes of inflorescences. Among them you can find simple baskets, terry and semi-double.
In the shape of a flower, annual varieties of asters (photo below) are:
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Acicular
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Chrysanthemum
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Pompom
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Spherical
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Peony
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Rosy
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 bouquet-type variety with a height of about 70 cm. It has up to 24 branches with large double needle-like inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter. Bloom from July to August. The color palette is varied. Tall plants are planted either singly or in flower beds in combination with shorter plants. A great option for cutting.
Dwarf
The inflorescences are peony, white, the height of a compact bush is from 25 to 35 cm. The diameter of flowers is 5-7 cm. Peduncles are long, they stand for a long time in the cut, therefore they are grown not only to decorate the garden, but also for bouquets. The plant feels good in pots, on balconies and loggias.
Symphony
The variety of asters is tall up to one meter. Leaves are oval, deep green. Inflorescences are terry, spherical. The flowers are red-purple with a white border, about 9 cm in diameter, are located on long stems up to 60 cm high. The flowering is abundant, long-lasting. Recommended for cutting.
Oktyabrina
Shrub asters of medium height (about 45 cm) 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. The diameter of the flowers is up to 12 centimeters. Blooms in August and September. The color of the buds is rich: red, pink, beige, purple and intermediate shades.
Snow White
Columnar plants up to 70 cm high. Inflorescences are double and densely double. Snow-white flowers are large, about 12 cm in diameter. Abundant flowering for at least two months. Asters practically do not get sick with fusarium. Recommended for planting in flower beds among other plants, as well as for cutting. They stand for a long time in bouquets.
Lady Coral
This variety is also resistant to fusarium. Inflorescences are located on long stems. A large number of flowers bloom on one branch (see photo), 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.
Look great both in single plantings and among other garden plants. The preservation in the bouquet is excellent, so the variety is grown for cutting.
Superb Ruckley
Spectacular asters, which, unlike other aster varieties, have two or even three colors on one flower. Inflorescences are flat-rounded, with long ligulate petals 4-8 cm in diameter. The middle is made of tubular flowers with a bright yellow tint.
Cloud
A versatile variety, grown both for creating an original design of flower beds, and for making bouquets. Semi-spreading bushes, rather tall - from 70 to 75 cm in height. Astram is not afraid of changeable climatic conditions, rarely get sick with 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 the head of a bride in a veil, will appeal to even the most sophisticated lovers of garden plants.
Suliko
Of course, one cannot but 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 and consist of reed and tubular petals. The diameter of the flower is at least 10 cm. The variety belongs to plants with medium late flowering periods, which lasts more than two months. A real decoration of the garden, these asters in a bouquet are no less attractive.
Let's summarize
Choosing the right asters is both simple and difficult at the same time due to the huge assortment.Every florist 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 on the flower beds. This is why asters attract landscape designers.
