Asters are one of the most famous garden flowers. They bloom beautifully, have a large variety of varieties and forms, retain their decorative effect in the open field for a long time and look great in bouquets. Among the ancient Greeks, asters were a good luck charm, so they landed in front of a temple or house. The flower was dedicated to Aphrodite, who personified beauty and unfading youth.
Types, varieties and photos of perennial asters
Flowers are herbaceous perennials and, depending on the species, differ in bush height and leaf shape. Plants have mainly needle-like flowers, which are inflorescences - baskets. Flowers consist of tubular, yellow small central flowers and brightly colored ligulate marginal flowers.
Among perennial crops, autumn flowering varieties are very much appreciated, which decorate the garden preparing for winter with their outfits. The height of their bushes and colors are very diverse.... Plants blooming in summer are rarely used, because they lose to other colors in decorativeness.
Perennial asters are suitable not only for planting in flower beds and flower beds, rockeries and alpine slides are decorated with dwarf varieties.
Popular types
The most famous are the New Belgian asters, the height of the bushes of which can reach from 30 to 150 cm.The dwarf varieties decorate alpine slides, rockeries and borders, and tall plants are used to decorate autumn flower beds and flower beds... The size of perennial inflorescences is about 3 mm. Blooms from early September until frost. The most popular varieties of New Belgian (Virginian) asters:
- Oktoberfest;
- Elephant;
- Weiser;
- Violet;
- Mount Everest;
- Beachwood Rivel;
- Herbert Wunder;
- Ada Ballard.
New England (American) asters grow even taller than Belgian asters and are distinguished by a lush and bushy bush with large leaves and flowers. In September, a large number of inflorescences with a diameter of 3 to 4 cm are formed on the bushes, which can be deep red, blue-pink, dark lilac, blue, dark purple, pink, blue color. Flowering continues until frost. The most famous varieties are:
- Constgans;
- Rubishats;
- Bars Pink.
Italian asters are medium-sized bushes that can be between 60 and 70 cm high. Their large inflorescences with a diameter of 4-5 cm begin to bloom in July... The varieties of this species are most often represented by flowers of pink, violet-blue, blue, lavender, lilac or lilac color. The following varieties can be noted:
- Dwarf;
- Herman Lena;
- Rose flower;
- Heinrich Seibert;
- Thomson;
- Freakart.
Dwarf asters - varieties, photo
Plants are shrubs with creeping stems, nondescript small leaves and large flowers of bright colors. They are used to decorate rockeries, borders, alpine slides.
Alpine asters grow up to 10-40 cm and bloom with single flowers of dark purple, red-pink, dark purple, dark blue, white or pink. Their flowers can be both small and large. Alpine aster varieties:
Wunder;- Dunkle schone;
- Ruber;
- Gute;
- Room;
- Goliath;
- Trois;
- Superbus;
- Alba.
Low-growing Tibetan and Natalenian asters are less common in gardens.Both species have blue flowers, however, Tibetan asters bloom most profusely. Anderson's dwarf plant grows only 5-8 cm in height and is the shortest aster. Blooms with purple inflorescences.
Name, description and photo of annual aster flowers
The annual Chinese aster is one of the most popular summer and fall blooming plants. Currently there are more than six hundred varieties of asters of this species, which differ in the height of the bushes and the shape and color of the inflorescences. They can be plain, double or semi-double.
According to the flower shape, annual plants can be:
- needle-like;
- chrysonetemum;
- pompom;
- spherical;
- peony;
- pinkish.
The following varieties of Chinese aster are most popular:
- Variety "Galaxy" is a bush in the form of a bouquet up to 70 cm high. It can consist of twenty branches, each of which forms double needle-like inflorescences with a diameter of 10 cm. It blooms in July and August with flowers that can be of very different shades. They are a good decoration for flower beds, and after cutting they stand in vases for a long time.
- Roseanne variety refers to peony plants. Weakly branched columnar shrub grows up to 65 cm in height. On one bush, about ten densely double inflorescences are formed with petals bent in the middle and tightly pressed. Pink flowers look very delicate in a flower bed and are suitable for making bouquets.
- Variety "Dwarf" is also a peony aster. A compact bush 25–35 cm high was brought from Western Europe. It differs in white inflorescences with a diameter of 5-7 cm, which form peduncles 15 cm long. It blooms for a long time and abundantly. The variety is suitable for decorating flower beds, flower beds. Flowers planted in boxes or pots decorate balconies.
- Rosa turm variety refers to peony plants. It is a tall columnar shrub, the height of which can be up to 80 cm. It is distinguished by dark green leaves and strong peduncles, of which up to 25 pieces can form on one plant. Hemispherical strongly double flowers have a lilac color and a diameter of up to 12 cm. It blooms for about two months from mid-July.
- Variety "Dragon" refers to the average types of asters. The plant is up to 70 cm high and has large flowers the size of a saucer. Their navicular petals are coquettishly curved and can be ruby, purple-neon, snow-colored or ivory.
- Variety "Symphony" It is a plant up to 100 cm high. It features oval green leaves and very large peduncles up to 60 cm long. The double spherical inflorescence consists of red-purple flowers with a white border, up to 9 cm in diameter. It blooms profusely and looks beautiful in a flower garden and is recommended for cutting.
In a garden or summer cottage, asters look good both in single and group plantings. In compositions, they can be planted next to dahlias, phloxes, antirrinums, zinnias. Asters are applicable for almost all occasions. They are used to decorate balconies, flower beds, alpine slides, rabatki, curbs, mikboxers. Plants are also suitable for making beautiful bouquets.
