Growing asters is a great way to get started in flower gardening. Asters are very easy to grow and a beautiful addition to a summer garden. Kevin Espiritu will take you through all the steps to grow these beautiful flowers.You may already know that growing asters in your garden invites numerous pollinators, who flit from the star-like aster to tomato and pepper flowers. In addition to that, did you know there are around 170 species?
These species are mostly relegated to the eastern hemisphere of the world, which encompasses a wide array of climates and conditions. That means there’s definitely an aster you can grow where you live!
They’re a fantastic addition to the garden, especially in summer and early fall. So let’s talk about asters and figure out how to grow them!​The gorgeous aster is a fantastic low-effort addition to your garden. Its name originates from the Greek word for star, but it also goes by many other names, with the September flower, Michaelmas daisy, and frost flower being just a few of them.These flowers originate all over eastern Europe and Asia, with some species native to North America, where they bloom in varying vibrant shades. They cover most of the Northern Hemisphere, apart from Africa and the lower part of the Americas.Asters vary in color, size, and ease of care depending on the variety that you grow. You’ll never find an aster flower with bright orange or yellow petals – they come in blue, purple, white, red, or pink. But no matter the color, it’s easy to identify them by their bright yellow center composed of many flowerets.
In the floral industry, asters are one of the most popular flowers to grow and sell. This is due to their versatility and long life once cut. They’ll last over a week before wilting. They’re also great for gardens that are designed to attract many different species of pollinators.
Asters are called Michaelmas daisies because they bloom in September, the same month that the celebration of the archangel Michael occurs in the early Christian pantheon. Through the aster flowers, Christians see the fire of Michael’s flaming sword.
Many of the asters native to North America have been removed from the Aster genus and split into several genera, including Ampelaster, Symphyotrichum, Ionactis, Eurybia, Seriocarpus, Doellingeria, and Oclemena.
Asters come in many varieties. When you’re just starting out, it’s hard to tell the difference between them all – but it matters because many grow much taller than others and have very different flower appearances.
The two most common types of aster are New York Asters and New England Asters. Not surprisingly, they’re also hard to differentiate. The New York aster has both tall and short varieties, but they tend to clump in the two to four-feet range. Some New York aster reaches upwards of four feet tall! The stems are thinner than New England aster, and the leaves are usually smoother. New England asters grow to be around three to four feet in height, though you can get varieties that grow either shorter or taller. In contrast to New York aster, they have hefty stems with leaves that are covered in hair. The flowers are much denser as well.