2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
European aster (lat. Aster amellus) - flowering culture; a representative of the genus Astra of the family Compositae, or Astrovye. Belongs to the group of summer species. Other names are Italian aster, chamomile aster, steppe aster, less often wild aster. In nature, it occurs on forest edges, clearings, meadows, steppes, as well as river valleys. Natural area - southern regions of Russia, Caucasus, eastern part of Europe, Cyprus, Crete and Sicily. It is very popular among gardeners and florists, it is used to create various compositions and decorate flower beds, ideal for cutting and making bouquets. It has many extraordinarily beautiful hybrids and varieties.
Characteristics of culture
European aster, or chamomile, is represented by perennial herbaceous plants up to 80 cm high with a short, powerful rhizome and erect, pubescent, highly branched, ascending stem, bearing a huge number of green or bluish, entire, obovate leaves, covered over the entire surface with short, stiff hairs. The middle and upper foliage is sharp or dull at the end, narrowish, sessile, equipped with rather pronounced veins; the lower foliage is large, spatulate, petiolate.
Inflorescences-baskets of medium size, collected in large shields of several pieces (usually up to 10-12 pieces), consist of tubular yellow flowers, forming a slightly convex disc, and marginal (reed) flowers, painted in purple, lilac, purple, blue or white shades (depending on the variety). The baskets are surrounded by a fairly wide spherical wrapper, the leaves of which are lanceolate and spatulate.
Fruits are flattened pubescent achenes, equipped with a small whitish tuft. European aster, or chamomile, blooms from mid-summer to the onset of cold weather, as a rule, from mid-late June to late September-early October. The flowering is abundant, beautiful, of course, provided the plants are given adequate and regular maintenance. There are more than five dozen interesting varieties.
Common varieties
Among gardeners and florists, the following varieties are very popular:
* Henrich Seibert (Henrich Siebert) - the variety is characterized by perennial herbaceous plants, the marginal flowers of the inflorescences of which are pinkish in color. Abundantly flowering variety.
* Rosea (Rosea) - the variety is characterized by perennial herbaceous plants with baskets, which reach 4-5 cm in diameter and consist of pale brown tubular flowers and rich pink marginal flowers. Quite an attractive variety.
* Herman Lens (Herman Lens) - the variety is characterized by perennial herbaceous plants, the marginal flowers of which are pale purple in color. A remarkable variety, it has a long and abundant flowering.
* Coerulea (Zorulea) - the variety is represented by perennial herbaceous plants with inflorescences-baskets, reaching a diameter of 3-4 cm and consisting of bright yellow tubular flowers and lilac-blue marginal flowers. A bright and attractive variety.
* Lady Hindlip (Lady Hindlip) - the variety is represented by perennial herbaceous plants, the reed flowers of the inflorescences-baskets of which are pink in color.
Growing features
Aster European, or chamomile, like other representatives of the genus, is a light-loving culture. It is recommended to grow it in areas open to the sun, on which it will be able to show its beauty to the maximum. Protection from cold winds and other adverse environmental factors is encouraged. Soils for European aster are preferable moist, drained, loose, light, water and air permeable, neutral or slightly alkaline. Optimal - loamy or sandy loam soils. The close occurrence of groundwater is highly undesirable. Planting asters should be carried out on sites where ornamental grasses grew a year earlier. The optimum temperature for the normal development of asters is 17-18C.
Caring for European aster is quite simple, fairly regular and moderate watering, at a temperature of 15 C, watering is not required, during heat and drought, their number doubles, in fact, like the volume of water used. They are important for the considered type of feeding with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. Organic matter is applied in early spring, mineral fertilizers - three times per season (1 - a couple of weeks after planting, 2 - in the budding phase, 3 - at the time of flowering; in the last two cases, nitrogen fertilizers are excluded). Weeding and loosening should not be avoided, they are also required by the culture for normal growth and flowering.
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