Description of varieties of heather aster, methods of reproduction and cultivation
It is difficult to find aster heather in Russian gardens. It is not very popular in Russia. But flower growers in the USA and Canada love this perennial for its unpretentiousness, frost resistance and decorative effect. In autumn, she decorates the garden with abundant flowering, fills it with a delicate aroma.
Flower description
Heather aster is found naturally in North America. The variety combines perennial herbaceous plants that bloom from September to November. Bushes are formed from long (70-100 cm) branched shoots, glabrous or pubescent. The stems are covered with leaves along the entire length. In the upper part, they are serrated, small (up to 1.5 cm long), alternate. Below, up to 6 cm long, clawed, tough. The bushes look fluffy due to the dense dark green foliage.
Heather aster belongs to frost-resistant (up to -35 ° C) ground cover crops. Bushes are aggressive. They quickly grow in width and look like a ball. To maintain the decorativeness of garden compositions, control is necessary.
The culture belongs to the small-flowered species. The diameter of the inflorescences (baskets) does not exceed 1 cm. The shape of the wrapper is bell-shaped. The marginal petals are pointed, lanceolate, arranged in 3 rows. The color is white, blue, pink.
The middle is yellow-brown or brown with a red undertone. At the peak of flowering (September-October) dense pyramidal (oval-pyramidal) bushes are covered with a continuous carpet of small flowers. The seeds are medium-sized, flat, and do not have time to ripen due to late flowering.
Aster teriflorus varieties
The advantages of the perennial variety of asters include abundant flowering, which can last up to 2 months. The shape of the bushes in many varieties of heather aster is creeping. This quality is used by landscape designers. The culture is included in compositions that require ground cover, creepers.
Pink Cloud (Pink Cloud)
Globular bushes during flowering (from September to November) are covered with pale pink small baskets. Aster heather Pink cloud retains its decorative effect until frost.
Snow flurry
The name is true. During flowering, small bushes (10 cm) Snow flurry are covered with many white flowers and resemble a blanket of snow. Gardeners plant an avalanche on rocky hills. In summer, it forms a dense carpet of dark green color, blooms closer to autumn.
Herbstmyrthe
Hybrid form with shoots up to 1 m long. Inflorescences are white-lilac, small, 10 mm in diameter. The core of the flowers is yellow with a burgundy undertone. Herbstmyrthe begins to bloom in September. Finishes in 1.5 months.
Erlkonig
The middle is bright yellow, the marginal petals are pale purple. Ground cover bushes with branched shoots up to 1 m long. Erlkonig blooms for 2 months from early September to November.
Blue star
A creeping variety of heather aster. The height of the bush is average - 70 cm. During flowering, Blue star resembles heather and stunted conifers due to the small needle-like foliage. Flowering lasts from August until the first frost. The flowers are pale blue.
Lady in Black
This variety is distinguished by an unusual color of the leaves. It is dark green and in places dark purple. The flowers are small, white with a pink-brown center. Lady in Black is used in group plantings as an ornamental ground cover crop.
Golden Spray
The bushes are dense, pyramidal in shape. The middle is bright yellow, contrasting with the white marginal petals. The flowers are small.
Growing
All varieties of heather aster love the sun or light partial shade. All soils are suitable for them, with the exception of clay and swampy.
From seed
Heather asters, grown from seeds, begin to bloom in the second year of life. They are sown in spring or before winter. Peat and humus are added to the soil. Aster seeds are sown in grooves to a depth of 1 cm. The ridge is mulched with humus or compost.
In spring, shoots of aster heather appear by the end of the second week. The grown seedlings are thinned out (dived), leaving a distance of 15 cm between them. Asters are transplanted in the fall.
Seedlings
Heather aster seeds are sown for seedlings in March. They are first germinated in a damp cloth. They are planted in a common container (container, box). The seeds are buried by 0.5 cm. The container is covered with foil and kept warm (20 ° C).
After the sprouts of heather aster appear, the film is removed, the box is transferred to a bright place. For the period of seedling growth, the air temperature is maintained at +18 ° C during the day, at +15 ° C at night. Seedlings of aster heather dive in the phase of the 3rd leaf.
Standard care:
- watering;
- creating an optimal microclimate;
- feeding with complex fertilizers.
Landing
Seedlings of heather asters are considered ready for transplanting to a new place, when 6 leaves are formed on it, and the height reaches 7 cm.Another 2 weeks are hardened, then it quickly adapts to open ground conditions.
Seat selection
In the shade, culture is often sick. Due to a weakened immune system, it is frequently attacked by insects. The abundant flowering pleases aster heather, planted in a sunny place. Calendula is considered a good predecessor to a perennial.
Florists do not recommend planting an aster after tulips and gladioli. Gardeners note that the plants planted in the southern part of the garden bloom earlier and bloom more abundantly.
Soil preparation
Best of all, heather aster grows on loam, fertilized before planting. Organic matter (humus) is introduced into the soil. Do not forget about the standard set of fertilizers:
- superphosphate;
- potassium salt;
- carbamide (only in spring).
The acidity is reduced with dolomite flour. The increased humidity is regulated by a layer of rubble or other drainage.
Planting rules
Seedlings are planted in open ground in May. Maintain an interval of 15-25 cm, and between two rows at least 0.5 m. After planting, the wells are watered and mulched with humus. During the first week, the heather aster is not watered.
The seedlings of aster heather planted on a cloudy day take root faster. If the days are sunny, the flower bed is covered with agrospan, cardboard or other improvised material that does not allow sunlight to pass through.The shelter is removed on the 3-5th day.
How to care for aster heather
Astra heather needs minimal maintenance. With the right choice of place and filling the soil, the perennial blooms profusely for 5 years, subject to the following rules:
- watering when the topsoil dries out;
- shallow loosening;
- weed removal;
- pruning faded inflorescences.
Breeding technique and seed collection
Aster heather is propagated vegetatively and by seeds. It is difficult to obtain your own seed. For them to ripen, at least 50 days must pass from the time of flowering. In a temperate climate in open ground, this is unrealistic.
Seeds
Get your heather aster seeds in two ways. One option is easy to implement, but does not guarantee germination, the second in terms of labor intensity is more costly, but it allows you to get high-quality seed:
- Cut the inflorescences before the first frost. Put on the windowsill. Wait for the seeds to ripen.
- Dig up a bush. Put it in a pot or bucket. Bring to a room where the temperature does not rise above +20 ° C. Provide the plant with adequate care and lighting. Collect ripe seeds.
Cuttings
The method allows you to preserve varietal characteristics. You can cut asters all summer. For rooting in the garden, prepare a small ridge, fill it with earth, peat, sand (2: 1: 1). Algorithm for propagation of asters by cuttings:
- Cut a 7 cm segment from the top of the shoot.
- Plant in a greenhouse, deepening 3-4 cm.
- Drizzle.
- Cover the ridge with foil.
- After a month, the seedlings can be replanted.
By dividing the bush
In this way, aster bushes are propagated at the age of 3-4 years. They just need to be transplanted to a new place. The division of the bush is carried out in the autumn:
- the bush is undermined from all sides, taken out;
- the rhizome with pruning shears is divided into parts;
- delenki are seated in prepared holes, watered.
Before the very frosts, the bushes are covered. Agrospan, lutrasil or organic covering materials (spruce branches, straw, leaves) are used for this.
Diseases and pests
A perennial is rarely sick. Poor care or weather disasters can cause illness. The decorativeness of the heather aster can suffer from insects:
- nematodes;
- spider mite.
The leaves affected by the nematode are cut off and destroyed. Aster is saved from spider mites by infusion of onion peels or by treatment with an insecticide.
Heather aster growing in the shade and not receiving proper care is susceptible to fungal infections:
- powdery mildew;
- gray rot;
- annular spotting.
Sick plants are treated with copper sulfate (gray rot), "Fundazol" (spotting).
Application in landscape design
Aster heather is valued as a ground cover crop. It is used in rock gardens, park areas in combination with conifers. Low-growing varieties are planted next to Iberis, cloves. Tall varieties go well with rudbeckia and ornamental yarrow.
Single plantings of heather aster look dignified and beautiful. Designers give lush bushes the correct geometric shape (ball, cone). A decorative perennial, planted in the garden, decorates it for many years without requiring much maintenance.
