What are the types and varieties of asters, a description of the best varieties
Owners of private houses and summer cottages often decorate gardens or a summer cottage with various colors. Some people prefer to plant garden asters outside, which are easy to care for. However, before planting, you need to familiarize yourself with the main types of asters and their distinctive features.
Perennial varieties
Often gardeners and summer residents plant perennial plants, which differ from each other in flowers, inflorescences, characteristics of the root system and even the shape of the leaves. There are four varieties of perennial varieties that you need to familiarize yourself with.
Alpine
Alpine perennial flowers grow in all climatic conditions and therefore can be found in different countries. The main distinctive features of the variety include:
- small growth of bushes that grow up to forty centimeters;
- unique colors of flowers, which can be white, purple and even red;
- long flowering that ends at the end of August;
- the formation of petals in several rows.
Astra Andersa
People who want to decorate the site in the spring plant Anders aster, which begins to bloom in May. It is a low-growing perennial plant with bushes about 35 centimeters high. If you properly care for such flowers, they will grow up to fifty centimeters. A distinctive feature of this variety is the flowers, which are painted in a bright purple tone.
Freakart
This is a hybrid variety that was bred by breeders after crossing the Thomson aster and the Italian flower. Frikarta is considered a tall flower that grows up to 80-85 centimeters. The advantages of the variety include its long flowering and unpretentious care. The plant does not need feeding and abundant watering. Experienced gardeners advise feeding flowers only if they are grown in shaded areas where there is little light.
Austrian
The Austrian variety is classified as a tall perennial plant, the height of which reaches 75 centimeters. Many gardeners advise planting such flowers along the fence, which will serve as additional support for them. The flowers of the Austrian aster can be pink, purple or bluish in color.
Varieties of annual asters
Gardeners who do not want to plant perennial flowers on the site prefer annual flowers. There are six varieties that are popular with gardeners.
Albus
These are compact flowers that look like a chamomile.The stems grow up to thirty centimeters, over time, small green leaves appear on them. Albus bloom begins in the second half of June or July. The middle of the flowers is yellow, and the petals of the flowers are completely white. When growing Albus, you need to monitor soil moisture and periodically water the plant.
Dunkle Schone
A distinctive feature of these flowers is considered to be fluffy inflorescences that have a purple hue. Gardeners advise to plant Dunkle Schone near other flowers in order to create a beautiful flower arrangement on the site.
Happy end
These are undersized flowers that grow up to 20-30 centimeters. However, sometimes the height of Happy End reaches 55 centimeters. The plant belongs to the group of unpretentious varieties that do not need careful care. The only thing that needs to be done for the flowers to grow well is to plant them in soil with a high calcium content.
Glory
This variety is popular with flower lovers as it blooms for a long time and is easy to care for. Glory features include the fact that the plant begins to bloom in early June. Bushes grow up to 20-25 centimeters. Glory's flowers are small, their diameter is 4-5 centimeters.
Goliath
Lovers of low flowers are planted in the garden Goliath, the bushes of which grow up to thirty centimeters. Flowers begin to bloom in mid-summer. At this time, small inflorescences with white petals appear on the plants.
People who have repeatedly planted Goliath are advised to plant it in drained and fertile soil.
Needle
This terry aster is often used to decorate a summer cottage in spring and summer. Its features include large inflorescences with a diameter of ten centimeters. 8-10 inflorescences appear on one bush, which bloom within 30-45 days.
Early flowering asters
Many summer residents want the planted flowers to bloom in the second half of spring or early summer. In this case, you will have to plant early asters, which quickly form inflorescences.
Galaxy
This is a bouquet variety that grows up to seventy centimeters. On the bushes of the Galaxy, about twenty branches are formed, which are covered with double inflorescences. The plant blooms in early July and continues to bloom until late August.
With proper care, the Galaxy grows a lot, and therefore it is better to plant it one by one.
Rosanna
People who want to decorate the yard for the whole summer can safely plant Roseanne. It has a long flowering period that lasts for two and a half months. Roseanne has tall bushes sixty centimeters high. At the end of spring, they are covered with inflorescences, the petals of which are bent towards the center. The diameter of each of the inflorescences reaches ten centimeters.
Pomponnaya
A distinctive feature of pompon asters is considered their flat-round terry inflorescences with a diameter of five centimeters. Such flowers have compact bushes that do not grow taller than 55-65 centimeters. The plant is very compact, as it does not grow in breadth. Thanks to this, it can be planted in a flower bed next to other flowers.
Summer varieties
Lovers of tall flowers can plant summer asters in the garden, which grow up to 75 centimeters. Such tall plants are best planted in flower beds located near fences. Inflorescences in summer varieties grow up to four centimeters in diameter. They can be colored pink, purple or blue. Flowering begins in late June and lasts until the end of summer.
Lady Heindlip
Lovers of Italian aster varieties are often planted at Lady Heindlip's dacha. You can distinguish this flower from other asters by the bright pink color of the inflorescences. Lady Heindlip's bushes are quite tall, as their height is 85 centimeters.They are covered with large green leaves and inflorescences with pink petals.
Bessarabskaya
Aster Bessarabskaya belongs to the popular early flowering varieties of flowers. The variety is considered a tall plant, its bushes can grow up to 90 centimeters. The flowers of the Bessarabian aster have a brown center and petals, painted in a bright purple tone.
Rosea
This alpine variety is considered one of the most compact plants, as its bushes grow up to twenty centimeters. Pink flowers appear on the bush at the end of May. Flowering lasts several months and ends in August. Gardeners recommend planting Rosea in flower beds along with other flowers.
Autumn varieties
Some summer residents want their site to be beautiful not only in summer, but also in autumn. Therefore, they prefer to plant varieties of asters that bloom in the autumn.
Ballard
Many gardeners plant Ballard asters in their flower beds, which are considered the most beautiful autumn flowers. The characteristic differences of this plant include its lush inflorescences with a bright pink tint. Ballard begins to bloom in summer and ends in autumn, before the first frost at night.
Saturn
Saturn bushes are popular with gardeners who like to plant compact flowers. The plant grows up to 45 centimeters and grows 20-30 centimeters in width. The first inflorescences appear in September and bloom until mid-October. The flowers have small white petals. The advantages of Saturn include leafy stems and beautiful inflorescences.
Blue Bird
A hybrid aster variety that was recently bred by Belgian breeders. Blue Bird can be grown in pots, as the bushes are quite compact. Plants form bluish flower baskets with a diameter of 3-6 centimeters. The flowering of the variety begins in the first half of September and lasts 30-35 days.
Venus
Venus is considered the ideal variety for creating a beautiful flower bed frame. Bushes grow up to 15-20 centimeters. At the beginning of autumn, flowers with pinkish petals are formed on them. Venus bloom lasts no more than a month.
Stunted asters
It is no secret that there are many varieties of flowers, but dwarf asters are popular among gardeners and summer residents. These varieties are suitable for decorating small flower beds installed in a summer cottage. Common undersized flowers include:
- Curb baby. The maximum height of the bushes is 25-30 centimeters. However, most often they grow up to twenty centimeters. The flowers are distinguished by beautiful petals with a delicate pink tint.
- Summer. Such small bushes bloom in the second half of July. Flowering lasts 70-80 days. The flowers of the variety have small lilac needle-like petals.
- Volgograd. This variety of asters is distinguished by large inflorescences with a diameter of ten centimeters. Volgograd asters are recommended to be grown in regions with a temperate or warm climate.
The most beautiful and best varieties
Every gardener would like to plant beautiful varieties of asters that have red, white or pink petals. There are several beautiful species that will definitely decorate any flower bed:
- Triumph. This is a hybrid variety that has beautiful lilac inflorescences that appear on the bushes in summer. The triumph grows to 35 centimeters long and blooms for two months.
- Mongolian. A characteristic feature of such flowers is their pink color with a reddish tint. Mongolian asters grow up to one meter in height and are ideal for decorating fences on the site.
Heather. This is an ampelous aster that starts flowering in early August. The bright purple color of the inflorescences will decorate any yard.
