Description of alpine aster varieties, cultivation, planting and care

Alpine aster is loved by professional flower growers and amateurs. With a minimum of care, this perennial flowering plant brightens gardens from spring to fall. Gardeners achieve continuous flowering by choosing the right varieties. Alpine has them varieties of asters plenty.

Characteristics of the variety

The species was cultivated in the 16th century. It unites a group of herbaceous perennial ground cover plants. The rhizome of the alpine aster is branched and horizontal. The shoots do not exceed 30 cm in height. The branches below are covered with oblong leaves with slight pubescence, on top they are linear, small, sessile. The bushes reach 50 cm in diameter. Sprawling, the aster covers the ground with a colorful carpet, decorating it, preventing the growth of weeds and the evaporation of moisture. The flowering period of the mountain aster depends on the climate and variety.

Spring varieties bloom from May to June, summer varieties bloom in July and August. Autumn varieties bloom in the fall. Their flowering can last from the first days of September to the end of October.

The perennial inflorescences are single baskets. The color of the marginal flowers is reed-shaped, delicate, pastel. They can be pale or bright lilac, pure white, lilac, blue or violet.

In the middle there are tubular bright yellow flowers. The size of the inflorescences is 4-5 cm in diameter. In appearance, they resemble daisies. July and August are the period of seed ripening. The bushes greet the winter green.

Varieties

Varieties differ in flowering time, color, and size of inflorescences. A lot of them have been released. It’s worth getting to know the most popular ones.

White Alps

The bushes are compact. Pure white flower baskets stand out brightly against the background of green leaves.

Albus

Low bushes - shoots 15-20 cm long. They bloom from June to July. The inflorescences are dazzling white, the short branches are densely covered with leaves.

Astra Blue

Blue aster has very bright blooms. The color of the petals is blue, rich. The plant has good frost resistance and does not freeze at -34 °C.

Illyria

The color of Illyria inflorescences is blue, pink, white, lilac. The bushes are low, they grow only 15-20 cm.

Alpine aster Pink

A fast-growing groundcover perennial. The size of the baskets is 4 cm. This variety is especially loved by landscape design professionals and amateurs. Flowering begins early, the first buds appear in early May.

Alpine aster Blue

Large-flowered perennial variety. The color of the inflorescences is blue, intense, size 6 cm. The bushes look impressive due to the lush green rosette. It is formed from elongated basal leaves.

Gloria

The perennial has small rosettes with a diameter of 3 cm. Narrow, blue petals spread out like rays around the bright yellow core.

Rosea

The size of the inflorescences is medium - diameter 4 cm. The color of the marginal petals is pink and delicate. The height of the stems does not exceed 30 cm.

Aster perennial mixture

The flowers of this variety are large, semi-double, and come in different bright colors. A perennial mixture is chosen if you need to create a multi-colored composition.

Goliath

Aster Goliath blooms in June. Flowers (diameter 6 cm) bloom throughout the month. Coloring the baskets in light purple tones. They decorate miniature 20 cm bushes. Goliath is planted on an alpine slide.

Ruber

The red-pink color of the flowers is unusual for the Alpine aster. The size of the baskets is average. The diameter can reach up to 4 cm.

Superbus

Low 30 cm bushes are strewn with small lilac-blue flowers. Their size does not exceed 3.5 cm.

Happy end

Flowering is abundant and lasts from May to June. The bushes are low (20-30 cm), strewn with bright pink, medium-sized flowers.

Dunkle Schone

The flowers are a beautiful purple color, reach 3.5 cm in diameter, and are planted on low 30 cm stems.

Planting and growing a plant

Soil preparation comes down to deep digging (30 cm), removing the roots of perennial weeds, increasing fertility and normalizing acidity levels. For this purpose, the following is added to the digging:

• superphosphate 2-3 tbsp. l.;
• humus (vermicompost, compost) 3 kg/m²;
• 1 tbsp. dolomite flour.

Choose a sunny place where rain and melt water does not linger. Alpine aster is grown by direct sowing of seeds in the ground and by seedlings.

From seeds

Alpine aster seeds germinate poorly. They are collected after flowering has ended. They are planted before winter in a greenhouse with fertile soil. They are not buried. Sprinkle with humus (1 cm). In the spring, the greenhouse is tightly covered with film (glass) to create a greenhouse effect.

Aster seedlings planted in the fall are diving. At the time of transplantation, they should have 2-4 true leaves. Flowering can be expected in the second year after sowing. Alpine aster seeds can be sown in open ground in May. This method is practiced by flower growers living in the southern regions. For temperate climates, the seedling method is suitable.

Seedlings

Alpine aster seeds are sown for seedlings from March to April. A suitable soil mixture is made up of garden soil, sand, peat and humus, taken in a ratio of 1:1:1:1. The seeds are buried 0.5 cm and covered with humus. The container is covered with film.

In the phase of 2-4 leaves, seedlings dive into separate cups. Containers are prepared for planting:

• a hole is made in the bottom;
• expanded clay is poured;
• filled with soil.

The seedlings are covered with transparent plastic bottles, having previously cut off the bottom. Caring for seedlings includes watering, fertilizing with biostimulants, and additional lighting.

Boarding time

In May, aster seedlings are planted in a permanent place. A week before transplantation, adapt to street conditions. Take it out into the yard or onto the balcony during the day.The first year of planting, alpine asters are covered for the winter.

Plant care

The Alpine aster does not lose its decorative appearance for 5-7 years if it has minimal care. Water the perennial abundantly (3 buckets per 1 m²), but not often. Over-watering reduces immunity and causes fungal diseases.

During the season, the soil in the flower bed is loosened to a depth of 4 cm, weeds are removed, and the bushes are hilled.

This helps strengthen the root system and improve nutrition. The alpine aster does not like prolonged drought. Flowers lose their decorative effect, wither and dry out. During flowering, faded inflorescences are cut out. Before the onset of frost, dried shoots are pruned and the soil is mulched with humus.

Fertilizer and feeding

Fertilizing stimulates abundant and long-lasting flowering. They are carried out 3 times during the season:

1. At the beginning of the growing season, with a solution of mineral fertilizers, 10 g of potassium sulfate, 20 g of urea, 50 g of superphosphate are taken per 10 liters of water.
2. Granules of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added during the appearance of buds, each taking 50 g/m².
3. Repeat the previous feeding at the peak of flowering.

Plant propagation

Alpine aster is easy to propagate vegetatively. Dividing the mother bush is the easiest option. They are doing this in the spring. Pre-prepare the landing site. The bush is dug up, the root system is freed from the ground, and divided into several parts.

The cuttings are transplanted into prepared holes and watered. The soil around the alpine aster bushes is mulched with pine needles, rotten sawdust or dry lawn grass. Reproduction of expensive elite varieties is carried out by cuttings. The method allows you to preserve all the varietal characteristics of the perennial.

For cuttings, take the upper part of the shoot (6-8 cm) of the Alpine aster. The main condition is 2 growth points on the branch. Planted in a greenhouse. It is filled with a mixture of peat, garden soil, sand, and ash. The cuttings are deepened into the soil by 4 cm. Using the film, comfortable greenhouse conditions are created. After a month, young roots appear on the cuttings. The seedlings are transplanted into the garden.

Diseases and pests

All varieties of alpine aster are characterized by stable immunity. Outbreaks of powdery mildew are provoked by damp weather and care errors:

• excessive watering;
• thickened planting;
• poorly chosen landing site.

For preventive treatments of perennials, the drug “Topaz” is used. Ornamental plants are treated with it twice. Both times before flowering. Product consumption per 10 liter bucket of water - 2 ml. Diseased alpine aster bushes are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters) in the fall. The shoots are cut off at ground level and burned. The soil is watered with Fitosporin-M solution.

Combination with other plants

In garden beds, decoratively blooming perennials serve as an excellent background for annuals. The rich color palette of alpine aster varieties allows you to create excellent group compositions in blue, lilac or purple shades.

For example, the alpine aster variety Dunkle Shenet with purple flowers serves as an excellent background for plants with yellow flowers:

• border irises;
• Euphorbia cypress and multiflorum;
• Loosestrife punctata.

On alpine hills, perennial alpine aster is planted next to sedums (large, prominent). Its graceful flowers combine well with delicate violet flowers and large inflorescences of long-blooming geraniums. The blooming alpine aster looks advantageous against the background of decorative bergenia leaves.It increases the decorative properties of Japanese spirea, Thunberg barberry, and white dogwood.

Alpine aster in landscape design

Professional landscape designers love to include perennial alpine aster in their compositions. Amateur gardeners do not forget about it either. It is used in many ways. The main range of uses of alpine aster:

• design of artificial reservoirs;
• border decoration;
• addition of group compositions of ornamental shrubs;
• rocky slides;
• rock gardens;
• garden flower beds.

Over the years, the popularity of the Alpine aster has not diminished. Easy care, large selection of varieties, rich colors, long flowering. This is just a small list of advantages that make perennials attractive to gardeners of any level.