Perennial asters - planting and care

Perennial asters are garden flowers, which are very much appreciated for their long flowering period, when most plants have already faded. Their color range is very diverse: flowers can be blue, red, purple, pink. Planting in its garden several types of asters with different flowering periods, you can enjoy their decorative appearance, beginning in May and ending with November until the first snow falls.

Varieties of perennial asters

Perennial asters can be conditionally divided into the following groups:

1. Early, the flowering period of which occurs in May-June. These include the Alpine aster .
2. Summer - blossom in July-August (for example, the Italian aster).
3. Autumn, which blossom in September-November (New England and New Belgian asters).

Perennial asters are very unpretentious. To plant them, you need to choose an open and sunny place. It is highly undesirable to plant flowers in the penumbra, since the probability of mildew disease is very high. The soil must be fertile and waterproof, it must be regularly loosened. Before planting flowers, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil.

There are some peculiarities of cultivation of some species of asters. So, for long perennial asters, water stagnation is fatal and they react very poorly to boggy soil. Perennial shrub asters suffer a very bad drought. For their normal growth, it is necessary to weed and loosen the soil in time and provide timely watering.

How to multiply perennial asters?

Reproduction of asters occurs in such ways:

1. Seeds . But with this method, weak shoots are obtained and their flowering can only be waited for a second or third year. Therefore, it is not very common in gardeners.
2. By dividing the bush . This method is considered the best for reproduction asters. As the roots of flowers grow rapidly, they need to be divided every 4-5 years. On each part of the bush, which is formed when it is divided, there must necessarily be a kidney and roots. Division of the bush can be carried out in the spring or autumn. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in the autumnal division, the blooming of late varieties of asters will occur only the next year.
3. Cuttings . For cuttings, young shoots are taken, which are able to quickly take root. With this method of reproduction, the growth of asters takes place fairly quickly.

Care for perennial asters

Transfer

If you have perennial asters growing in the garden, eventually, the question will inevitably arise when they are transplanted. With a long finding of shrubs in one place, they are aging and reducing the number of flowers. Plants that grow close to each other begin to interfere with each other because their roots grow. Therefore, after 4-5 years of life for further normal growth, asters need a transplant.

Watering and feeding

Care for perennial asters consists of periodic irrigation, lime and phosphorus fertilizers. Top dressing is given to plants in dry form, but if the summer is hot and arid - then in liquid. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the removal of weeds, loosening and mulching the soil.

Wintering

Asters are very frost-resistant, therefore do not require special care in preparation for winter. If they were later transplanted, then for the winter you can cover with dry leaves.

Asters in landscape design

You can decorate your garden, planting a single bush of perennial asters, and planting these plants in groups.

If you correctly plant a long-term low-aster and care for it, you can grow a hedge of flowers as a result. Also from these flowers you can create picturesque borders or contours around the flower beds.

A perennial shrub aster with proper care will look great in combination with evergreen bushes and coniferous trees.