Asters — overview of all varieties (annual and perennial). Instructions for growing, planting and care at home +140 photos

Almost everyone knows such a beautiful, unusually beautiful and unpretentious flower in care, as an aster. There are both annual and perennial varieties of these plants. Today, in the world, the Asteraceae family has about 500 different species, the largest part of which is grown in North and Central America.

Asters are mostly used as a decorative decoration of a plot or a flower bed, the inflorescences of the flower are quite unusual, unique and original.

They are cold-resistant, they begin to bloom much earlier than many garden flowers, around the beginning of June, while bright, colorful aster petals will delight the gardener until the end of August.

Aster is a compound herbaceous plant with a sufficiently developed root system. Its stems reach 30-160 cm in length, they are slender and even, the bract leaves on the stems are small and linear, while the stem ones are long, have an oblong shape, slightly curved at the edges.

Inflorescences of plants from the Aster family are shaped like baskets, their sizes are up to 8-9 cm in diameter. Flower petals can be of various shades: white, red, burgundy, purple, yellow, bright blue, pale blue, etc. Their color palette is very diverse, you can find beautiful aster flowers and all rainbow shades, and other unusual colors.

The plant begins to give seeds in one and a half to two months from the beginning of flowering. It is necessary to collect flower seeds of asters by the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, otherwise there is a risk that the flowers will die or rot in the conditions of the onset of cold and high humidity.

Aster prefers nutritious and moist soil, but it is necessary to ensure that the soil is not too waterlogged.

The penumbra plant prefers bright sunlight, so it is desirable to break flower beds of flowers of this species in well-lit places.

Varieties and varieties

Let's try to deal with the most common and popular types of asters in Russia, which are planted and bred by both professional flower growers and amateur gardeners. To understand what this or that variety looks like, study the numerous photos of asters that are freely available.

The Alpine aster is a perennial plant that begins to bloom at the end of May, reaching a length of 30 cm. Inflorescences of the flower of this species usually do not exceed 5 cm in diameter.

Visually, the plant resembles a daisy. This species is represented by two main varieties: Glory and Wargrave. The first variety is characterized by a stem length of up to 25-30 cm, a small inflorescence size of up to 4 cm, is a blue or blue chamomile with a bright yellow core.

The second variety has a length of up to 30 cm, the diameter of the flower itself is identical to the first, the color of the petals is predominantly pink, the middle is also yellow.

Italian aster – in another way, chamomile, begins to bloom in mid-June or early July. It has inflorescences up to 5 cm in diameter, the flower basket is represented by a corymbose inflorescence, the bushes reach a length of up to 70 cm. The main varieties of this species are Rosea and Rudolf Goeth.

The first variant has tongue—shaped petals of pink shades, and tubular - light brownish tones, its flowering period is approximately about three months. The second variety has purple tongue flowers and yellowish tubular flowers, has rather fluffy and large inflorescences.

The Bessarabian aster is characterized by a bush height of up to 75 cm and numerous purple inflorescences with a brown core.

The listed varieties belong to the previously blooming perennial asters, there are also later species that bloom also in autumn, and for quite a long time. Autumn flowering plants, which are also perennial, are represented by the following species:

Aster shrubby. This species is the earliest of the range of autumn crops. The bushes reach a height of 35 to 60 cm, their stems have many leaves, so even a flower that has not yet blossomed will decorate any flower bed with its rich greenery.

Its most popular varieties are: Niobe, which has snow-white inflorescences, and Blue Bird, these are dwarf plants no higher than 25 cm in length, with blue petals.

Novobelgian aster. The most common species in the gardens of Russians, the bushes of the plant are powerful, they have minute inflorescences and multi-colored, variegated coloring. The main varieties are dwarf, with a size not exceeding 45 cm in length, medium—sized - up to 70 cm in height, and tall, represented by stems growing up to one meter.

The New England Aster stands out from other Asters by its size, the height of its bushes reaches 1 m. 60 cm. In its appearance, it resembles the Belgian one: the flower is also represented by a large number of small, bright, colorful inflorescences.

In addition to perennial varieties, an annual flower – garden aster is quite common. Annual plants often do not look at all like asters, but rather resemble peonies, dahlias or chrysanthemums. Garden aster is represented by a huge variety of varieties that have different flowering periods, trunk height, inflorescence structure, shades, etc.

Cultivation and care

Aster planting with the help of harvested or purchased seeds can be carried out by seedling and seedless methods. The earliest varieties can be planted in the soil at the end of March, this will allow you to admire the charming, colorful flower beds on your site in mid-June.

The most recent varieties can be planted in the ground when the average daily air temperature is at least 10 ° C.

Keep in mind that asters planted immediately in the open ground, that is, using a seedless method, may begin to bloom later than flowers previously grown in a greenhouse.

In order to plant the seed of the future flower in the soil, it is necessary to make furrows in it, up to 4 cm deep, put the seed, pour enough water into the recess and fill it with soil. If the planting takes place in March or April, the planted flower bed must be covered with a covering material before the first shoots appear.

The strengthened seedlings that have come out of the ground must necessarily be thinned, it is advisable to leave a distance between shoots of 10-15 cm, and the remaining seedlings should be transplanted to another place. This will allow the plant to fully grow and develop.

If planting is planned using the seedling method, then wrap the flower seeds in a cloth soaked with water 6-7 days before the start of sowing. After 10 hours, squeeze out the fabric material, put the bundle in a plastic bag, and put it in a warm place, this will allow the seeds to germinate.

Germinated seeds are planted in special containers filled with light, moist, fertile soil. Planting in the open ground is carried out when the seedlings are strong enough, 3-4 leaves will bloom on their trunks.

As for the subsequent care of asters, it is quite simple. This type of plant is completely unpretentious, so it is not difficult to take care of them, it is enough to periodically loosen the soil in the flower garden, weed weeds and make watering.

To get the maximum return from flowering plants, you can periodically feed them with special mineral compositions.

A bouquet of aster flowers will please anyone, and a flowerbed made up of these flowers will look great, perfectly decorate both the suburban area and the house territory.

Breeding and growing asters is not a difficult task, which even an amateur can cope with, but the result of the process, expressed in incredibly beautiful, colorful and elegant flowers, will amaze everyone.

Photo of astra