A garden plot, even a very small one, is almost never without flowers. And of course, a special place among them is occupied by shrub aster. We will tell about this unpretentious, but very beautiful plant in our article.
Shrub Astra: Description
This is a perennial plant. Its height ranges from 30 to 90 cm (depending on the variety), the stems are branched, due to which the shape of the bush resembles a ball. The leaves are oblong, oval in shape, serrated at the edges, located densely on the pubescent branches. Above they are rough, below - smooth. The leaves are quite dense, dark green in color.
Buds are formed on the tops of the branches. Flowers from three to seven centimeters in diameter. They can be painted in various colors - white, blue, purple, violet, burgundy, etc.
Shrub aster prefers dry and sandy soils. Flowering begins in the second half of August or at the very beginning of September and lasts up to seven weeks. Therefore, these flowers in the garden will delight you with a picturesque view for a long time. They can bloom to the very frosts.
Shrub Astra: planting and care
To plant this plant, you should choose a bright place well warmed by the sun . The soil should be well drained and loose. These conditions must be observed if you want to grow a lush, healthy and abundantly flowering bush. In partial shade or in the shade, the plant slowly develops, and if, moreover, the soil becomes swampy, the plant becomes sick, flowering becomes sparse, and over time the bush may die.
So that these flowers in the garden keep the shape of a ball and the bush does not fall apart, the aster must be planted in a place sheltered from drafts and strong winds.
Top dressing
The soil before planting should be enriched with organic fertilizers. The following procedure is carried out the next year. For this, it is necessary to use complex water-soluble fertilizers. When the first buds appear on the bush, phosphorus-based fertilizing can be used.
Trim and garter
In order for the aster bush to have a rounded shape, excess branches should be cut. This is necessary not only to give the bush a well-groomed and neat appearance, this process stimulates more active growth of branches, which will give the plant splendor and density, and also increases the number of inflorescences by autumn.
Bushes that grow to 80 cm must be strengthened by tying them to a support. To do this, gently drive a peg next to the base of the bush and tie a plant to it. Thick branches will reliably hide such a support, and it will not be visible at all. During flowering, to preserve the magnificent decorative appearance of the plant, remove dried inflorescences.
Breeding
Shrub astra propagated vegetatively or by seeds. The latter option is used quite rarely, since seed germination is lost quite quickly. They must be sown immediately after harvest, before the start of winter in open ground or in early spring to a depth of about two centimeters.
Vegetative propagation is much more commonly used. It is necessary to divide the bush in early spring. At the same time, weak stems must be removed. Many gardeners propagate aster without digging a bush. To do this, separate one or two parts from the bush, which can then be divided into even smaller shoots. One part of the bush must contain at least five new shoots.
Wintering
Shrubby asters easily tolerate frosty winters. After flowering is completed, cut the bush under the root and cover it with dry leaves or compost. This method is especially important for young plants in which the root system has not yet fully formed.
Popular Asters: Jenny
Compact and very pretty plants. Look great in the design of the garden in summer and autumn. They form almost spherical dense bushes. In summer they are covered with lanceolate sessile, dense leaves, and in autumn the plant is literally strewn with bright inflorescences-baskets. They are not large - no more than three centimeters in diameter.
Astra Jenny has erect, heavily branched and pubescent stems. Their height is a little over forty centimeters. It blooms from late August to the first snow very abundantly, the flowers are painted in pink or raspberry color. He does not like too hot and dry areas.
Perennial asters, to which this variety belongs, are frost-resistant plants that winter well without shelter. During flowering, frosts are tolerated to -7 degrees. They feel quite comfortable on different soils, but they develop better and bloom on fertile soil with nutrient content.
This type of shrubby asters is used in arrays, group plantings, ribbons and singly on the lawn. Great for borders and rock gardens. You should pay attention to the fact that in the late autumn time the flower garden will receive a sufficient amount of light.
Bush aster Matsumoto
This species belongs to the popular group of bush - cutting asters. The bush grows to 70 cm. It is quite compact, cylindrical in shape, with dense stems. The inflorescences are rounded. Their diameter is 8.5 cm. They have a yellow core. Reed flowers can have a different color. Inflorescences are crowned by tall, graceful stems and at the slightest breath of wind create the impression of a waterfall.
The advantages of this plant, no doubt, include high resistance to adverse weather conditions and diseases, as well as plentiful and prolonged flowering.
Aurora
The bush is strong, columnar, up to 65 cm high. Has very strong peduncles up to 40 cm long, densely covered with foliage. The inflorescences are flat and slightly rounded, with a diameter of up to 10 cm. Reed flowers are quite wide, arranged in a row along the very edge of the inflorescence. On the bush, with proper care, up to 30 inflorescences develop. Flowering lasts two months. It is suitable for cutting. The variety is often found in the collections of gardeners.
Astra Christina
Another very popular variety of bushy asters. It attracts with late flowering and compact bushes. Astra shrub Christina does not grow more than 50 cm. The plant grows very quickly by underground shoots. The leaves are dark green, somewhat narrowed. Flowers are snow-white with a bright yellow core. Flowering continues from early September to late October. Needs rejuvenation (digging and dividing) every three years. Looks spectacular on an alpine slide.
Astra Needle
The bush is strong, sparsely branched, columnar. Height up to 60 cm, diameter - 35 cm. The inflorescences are hemispherical or flat-round, terry. Diameter is about ten centimeters. Reed flowers, fused in length into a tubule, are arranged in 7 rows along the very edge of the inflorescence, the middle ones are bent to the middle, and the marginal ones are horizontal. Tubular flowers are small, yellow. As a rule, the bush has about twelve inflorescences. Flowering time is 50 days.
Starlight
Perennial plant with erect pubescent stems. Astra shrubby Starlight very branching, forming the shape of an oval or ball. In height, the bush grows to 50 cm. It tolerates drought and frost. Blooms profusely with light purple flowers from August to frost. Prefers fertilized light soils. The planted planted at a distance of forty centimeters, so that the underground shoots of young plants were covered with soil with a layer of 3 cm.