PEREN N I AL FOCUS
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4 1. One of my back beds comes into its own in September when the dark-purple Aster novae-angliae ‘Hella Lacy’ and the blue Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’ vie with the pinks of Anemone japonica and Rosa Oso Easy ‘Happy Smoothie’ as well the yellow Solidago. 2. Aster cordifolius as part of a shrub border.
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3. A closeup of the flowers of Aster divaricatus. 4. Aster novae-angliae ‘September Ruby’, Eupatorium purpureum and Cimicifuga (Actaea) racemosa combine to create a striking combination in one of the island beds at Bressingham. 5. This Aster, ‘Vibrant Dome’ has been close to my heart since it suddenly appeared and graced my garden in 1996.
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6. A closeup of the flowers of Aster tataricus ‘Jin Dai’.
continued from page 8 Another little-known species is Aster oblongifolius/ Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aromatic Aster). This one tends to grow 2 to 3 feet high on stiff, hairy stems. The flowers, as one might expect, are lavender with yellow centers. The leaves are fragrant when crushed, thus the common name. It is a very useful perennial for pollinator gardens. I’ve grown ‘October Skies’ in my back garden and ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ in my front garden for several years but find that I need to cut ‘October Skies’ in half in June to keep it from being too tall since it is at the front of that bed. One of my favorites is Aster divaricatus/Eurybia divaricatus (White Wood Aster). This Aster is incredibly adaptable, willing and able to grow in sun or part shade, average moisture to dry sites under trees. Only 12 inches inch high, with heart-shaped foliage that remains evergreen, it becomes 18 to 24 inches when in bloom. Hundreds of tiny white daisies last from September to October and then, with their seed heads, still have an interesting presence in the garden well into the winter.
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The best known Aster is A.novae-angliae/Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, the New York Aster. Usually 4 to 6 feet tall, this fall-blooming aster ranges in color from purple and pink to white. There are several excellent cultivars from which to choose. ‘Alma Potschke’ is only 4 feet but has considerable impact in the garden because of its hot pink flowers. ‘Hella Lacy’ has deep purple flowers on 5 foot stems while ‘September Ruby’ has ruby red flowers on 5 to 6 foot stems. There are several other cultivars but I have not grown them. Two dwarf cultivars are ‘Purple Dome’ which has flowers the same color as ‘Hella Lacy’ and ‘Vibrant Dome’, a magenta sport found in my garden. Both are only 2 feet high. These Asters need to be grown in lean soil. Highly enriched soil makes the stems lanky and floppy. Even in lean soil, I find it advisable to prune the tall ones as soon as the plants are a foot high. Cutting them in half will make them bushier as well as shorter. Try not to do this later than June 15 or flowering will be quite delayed. Even so, be prepared to use grow-throughs to keep them from falling over when it rains. This species is