Chinese aster will delight you with a palette of colors and long flowering

Tell us what the Chinese aster is. A neighbor in the country gave me some seeds, saying that tall bushes with large scarlet flowers would grow. Sowed for seedlings and for two weeks already transplanted seedlings into the garden. I used to have asters, though I don’t know which variety. I sow them every year, collecting seeds. And there was also a lot of self-seeding, all that remained was to thin out or plant. Is this species also an annual?

For many of us, the beginning of the school year and the first line are associated with a simple but charming bouquet of asters. Once upon a time, these were the most popular autumn flowers growing in every flower bed. However, lovers of this plant today do not forget about it, and the Chinese aster is most often found. Unlike the new hybrid varieties, this flower is distinguished by its unpretentious nature, however, in its beauty it is not inferior to them. Moreover, it has a varied palette of colors, among which there are even blue-blue tones that are rare for asters. To top it off, the bushes will delight with long flowering. The last buds bloom during the first frost.

Description of the plant

The Chinese aster came to us from the distant Celestial Empire, in fact, that is why it is called that. In the country of sakura, aster is endowed with special significance, considering it a symbol of femininity. It is an annual herb with over 4,000 species. Among them there are both compact varieties, not exceeding 20 cm in height, and quite tall bushes, reaching almost 1 m. Some varieties form erect green stems, while others will surprise with branchy reddish twigs. However, all of them are characterized by a very developed root system, growing in width, and oval green leaves.

The plant is known in the scientific literature as callistephus.

A characteristic feature of callistefus is long flowering, which is facilitated by growing in a well-lit area. The first flowers begin to bloom in late June - early July. They can be small or large enough. The autumn coolness does not prevent the aster from forming buds, and only frost stops its flowering.

Chinese aster - popular varieties

The one-year-old beauty will be able to please any gardener. Low bushes with a scattering of small stars or slender tall plants with large bright inflorescences ... This flower will satisfy any requirement. For convenience, the plants are divided into series, depending on the height of the bush, the size and structure of the inflorescences.

Among the most famous Chinese asters, which are most often grown, it is worth noting the following varieties (series):

1. The Dragon. A tall shrub up to 70 cm in height will give up to 12 strong peduncles with large flowers up to 12 cm in diameter. Rolling petals make these asters look like chrysanthemums. The series is represented by white, yellow, pink, red and even sky blue and almost purple varieties.
2. Pompom. It differs in the smallest, no more than 5 cm in diameter, flowers, but they are very lush, like balls. The color is varied, and there are even two-tone varieties.
3. A princess. Large double flowers have tubular petals and look very delicate and spectacular.
4. Matador. One of the tallest and largest-flowered asters. The height of the branchy bush reaches 1 m, the diameter of the inflorescences is 20 cm.Moreover, the middle of a double flower consists of tubular petals, like in the Princess series, and the outer rows are wide, like in peonies. Asters are intended for cutting.

The best cut series of the Chinese aster Chrysanthella - video