Cooperative Living September 2021 - 30

GardenMuse | by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist
Flowering Finale: Asters
Lasting, late-season color to share
got my first start of Aster tataricus decades ago at my
children's elementary school Spring Fling plant booth.
I've shared clumps of this wonderful passalong plant with
countless friends, all to admiring reviews. Everyone appreciates
the longevity of its lavender-blue bloom, starting in September
and lasting through November.
The tallest one in the class,
at 5 feet in height, brings
drama to the garden in its
waning months and even
more buzz as flurries of
pollinators visit the starry
blossoms.
Asters come in other vivid
colors - purple and vibrant
rose. The Heath aster has
clouds of tiny, white, daisy-like
flowers, as does the smaller
Calico aster. White wood
asters contrast with their black
stems and tolerate shade. Aster
tataricus, though, sports the
lavender-blue color scarce
in autumn, yet one which
complements the multitudes
of oranges and yellows
emerging in the fall landscape.
It is also a magnet to the
orange Monarch butterfly.
ASTER SHOWCASE
When grown in sun,
A. tataricus produces strong
stalks, an asset as it rarely needs staking, but also does well
in semi-shade, especially in the South. Back-of-the-border
planting is ideal, so that earlier bloomers in the front tiers
of the garden subdue the plant's coarse leaves until September.
Want to produce more blooms? Pinch some of the height
to increase the bloom if you like a more compact, bushier
look. Trimming stems in late June or early July also extends
the bloom period. If you cut the stems by half at this point,
they will only attain a height of about 3 feet when they
grow back.
Butterflies, bees and other
pollinators feast upon asters.
I
However, I have found that I can stagger the bloom
if I prune back the plant at different heights. I think of
this system as a choral riser effect. I clip the back stems
about a foot, then trim the stand of asters on a diagonal
plane, coming forward with the front plants trimmed
the shortest.
Asters make long-lived cut
flowers for arrangements
where a few long stems fill
an entire vase.
DO'S AND DONT'S
Asters grow for a long
time as a nice green
background for earlier
bloomers, so be careful not
to weed them by mistake.
In the spring, the somewhat
unrefined foliage reminds
some growers of tobacco
leaves. When planting
asters, sprinkle a teaspoon
of superphosphate in the
hole, mixed with the soil
to aid root growth. A
shovelful of compost
around plants in spring
aids their performance.
You will probably have
plenty of clumps to share.
It is important to divide
them frequently or give
thought to containing
them in the garden so
they do not take up too
much space. They are not
considered invasive, but
under ideal growing conditions, they can muscle out
weaker neighbors.
Last year, the showy flowers I had divided and given
my daughter-in-law became nature's timepiece of sorts.
She watched them grow tall by her kitchen window,
hoping that her baby, who was trying to arrive early,
would wait for the asters' September bloom to be born.
A healthy baby Bea did wait for her birth month flower
to open. So, for my family, the aster's bloom is perpetually
linked to the year's fruition and gratitude. 
Asters grow
for a long time
as a nice green
background
for earlier
bloomers.
28 | Cooperative Living | September 2021
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Cooperative Living September 2021

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