Plant of the Day: New England Aster
Photo of New England Aster (Aster-novae-angliae)

Photo by Missouri Botanical Garden


Instant Asters


Whatever the parentage of supermarket asters, these plants are meant to go in the ground and bloom right away, so you have color as the rest of the garden browns and the trees go bare. Plant them like any other potted perennial.


In the trade, some call them annual asters, some bedding asters. After a lot of searching I’ve learned just a little more. Some might be a form of New York aster called ‘Magic’ or ‘Peter Harrison.’ There’s a chance that some are ‘Sapphire,’ a selection of Aster dumosus. And some, who knows? If you know (maybe you’re a nurseryman) tell the rest of us, please.


Though these asters are hardy, some in Zone 4, they need care to survive their first winter. Because the nurseries grow them on a schedule, the plants are primed to bloom and have not begun to toughen up for winter. Let the flowers remain on the plant after they bloom and wither. Water regularly so the roots have time to grow into the ground and anchor the plant during the freezing and thawing of winter.


There’s a dwarf form of New England Aster called ‘Purple Dome’ that’s terrific. It branches heavily, stays compact and dome-shaped, and blooms with nearly full-sized flowers that have purple petals and yellow centers. If I could only plant one aster, this would be it.


By Mark Kane - the Groundskeeper, YourGardenShow.com

Copyright © 2012 YourGardenShow.com

Want to read more about this plant and other varieties? Click here for the New England Aster (Aster novae angliae) Plant Page!

Plant Photo Tagging - How it Works

Video by Tom Finerty, founder YourGardenShow.com

Plant Photo Tagging allows you to turn any garden photo into a rich tapestry of what you have planted. It’s fun, informative, and helpful to others visiting your garden. As you photo tag, you can easily add plant names from our database and/or make notes about anything you’d like. To get started, sign-in and go to your Garden.


Click on any image in your garden's slideshow Carousel to get to full-view mode. Click on the “Tag” icon just below your photo and you are ready to tag! Simply click and drag your mouse over a plant or area you’d like to highlight or tag. A pop-up box will appear and ask for either a plant name or a note - add one or both, then click “tag” and you’ve just tagged your garden!


Write and tell us your suggestion for a "How it Works" video:
how-it-works@yourgardenshow.com


For more info contact: help@yourgardenshow.com

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Plant of the Day archive

Siberian squill

Snowdrop

Douglas fir

Norway spruce

Common Lilac 'Marie Frances'

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Manchurian lilac 'Miss Kim'

Red mulberry

White spruce

Striped squill

Scotch pine

Frazier fir

Colorado Spruce

Hardy Pecan

Asparagus

Beet

Brussels Sprouts

Globe Artichoke 'Imperial Star'

American Hazelnut

Black Alder

Seven-son flower

European larch

Maidenhair tree

Butterfly weed

Creeping Zinnia

Garlic 'Spanish Roja'

Garlic 'Georgia Fire'

Garlic 'Persian Star'

Garlic 'Asian Tempest'

Aster 'Monch'

Aster 'Purple Dome'

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Corn

Pumpkin

Gourd

Sargent crabapple, Sargent

Gooseberry

Dwarf pear

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Black walnut

Potato

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Clematis - Nelly Moser

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American elderberry

Russian arbor-vitae

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Sweet Potato

Sedum

Blackberry

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Mache

Japanese falsecypress

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Japanese Anemone

Carrots

Hot Peppers

Cilantro

Okra

Peppers 'Cal Wonder Orange'

'Cherry Pink' Tomatoes