Planting, care and propagation of September flowers in open ground, description of flower varieties

Septembers, as they are popularly called, or Virginian (New Belgian) asters, received such a name for a reason. It is directly related to their flowering, which begins in September. Gardeners appreciate and love September flowers, as they not only please the eye when all the flowers have long faded, but are also unpretentious, easy to care for, and easy to plant and propagate.

Description and features

Septemberflowers are a bushy herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae genus, native to North America. Sometimes they are called October flowers, since they bloom until late autumn and are not even afraid of the first snows. Virginia aster bushes are highly branched and covered with numerous small flowers. One bush can have up to 200 units of flowers. The center of the flowers can be yellow, orange, red or burgundy. And the petals are most often lilac, but there are varieties with white and pink shades.

Growing from seeds

These flowers are often grown from seeds, since seedlings are almost impossible to find.

Growing seedlings

In order to grow seedlings from September seeds, you need to choose the right planting material, plant it on time and organize proper care.

Selection of planting material

To grow seedlings, it is better to purchase seeds from a specialized store rather than collect them yourself. Due to late flowering, the seeds do not have time to ripen, and the collected material will have very low germination.

Deadlines

Virginia aster seeds begin to be planted in February in order to have time to grow seedlings before spring, or rather until May. It can be planted in the fall, because the plant is frost-resistant, but it is still better to do it in the spring. This will give the seedlings time to acclimatize and develop a root system.

How to plant

For sowing seeds, take any low containers. They are filled with soil, then shallow grooves are made and seeds are sown in them. Sprinkle a thin layer of soil on top, about 3-5 mm, lightly pressing it down. Next, irrigate the soil with the seeds and cover with a sheet of glass or polyethylene. Place the container in a warm, well-lit place, waiting for them to germinate before planting them. After 3 weeks, the first shoots will appear. At this time you need to remove the cover.

Watering

Sown seeds need regular watering. Care must be taken to ensure that the soil does not dry out and is always moist. But waterlogging also adversely affects the formation of seedlings. It is also important to periodically ventilate the plantings; the formation of condensation inside the container with sown seeds is unacceptable.

Picking

After a month, the sprouts will be ready for picking. They are carefully removed from the soil and, together with the soil located near the root, transferred to separate containers, for example, cups.

Hardening

In spring, seedlings must be hardened off. For this purpose, containers with it are taken outside every day and left for some time in the fresh air.

Planting in open ground

When the seedlings are strong enough, they are planted in open ground. But before that, you should choose a place and prepare the ground.

Selecting a location

September flowers are not capricious, so they grow well in any soil except loamy soil. When choosing a place to plant seedlings, it is better to give preference to a sunny area without drafts. Preferably on a hill to avoid possible flooding.

Soil preparation

2 weeks before planting the seedlings, the area is prepared. To do this, they dig it up and apply fertilizer. These can be organic or mineral compounds.

Planting scheme

For planting, holes are dug; their depth must correspond to the root system of the seedlings. Fill them with water, and after it has been absorbed a little, plant the seedlings.

The distance between plants should be about 50 cm. If this is planting above paths, you can reduce it to 20 cm.

Care

In order for the September flowers to grow sufficiently lush and bloom profusely before the onset of frost, like any other plant, they need to be looked after.

Watering

The shrub especially needs watering during the first 2 weeks after planting. Then it enters a phase of active growth and can independently cope with short-term droughts.

For irrigation, use settled water. Water not often, but generously.

Loosening and weeding

From time to time, the soil around the Virginia aster flowers should be loosened so that a sufficient amount of oxygen reaches the fairly developed root system of the plant.

And weeding serves as a prevention of certain diseases and pests that the plant can become infected with from weeds.

Top dressing

Over the entire season, September plants need 3 feedings. The first is carried out in the spring, at which time nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied. The second, potassium fertilizing should be done in mid-summer. And with the beginning of flowering of the bush, phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Trimming

In order to stimulate growth and enhance flowering of the bush, pruning is carried out. All dry and wilted shoots are removed. To form a beautiful bush shape, you can also trim healthy branches. They can later be used for reproduction.

Transfer

In order for the Virginia aster to feel good and develop harmoniously, it needs to be transplanted to a new place every 4-5 years.Such transplants are carried out in the spring so that the bushes have time to take root before winter. When replanting in the fall, the gardener runs the risk of rubbing the plant.

Wintering

After the bush has completely faded, its stems are cut off at the root. Adult plants do not need any shelter, but young ones are better insulated for the winter. To do this, use dry leaves, grass or spruce branches.

Reproduction

There are several ways to propagate September flowers.

Dividing the bush

The plant is most often propagated using this method. To do this, the bush is dug up completely and then divided into several parts. In fairly mature plants, woody parts are removed, as well as non-viable shoots and planted in different holes.

Cuttings

This method of reproduction is not easy and does not always end successfully.. This procedure is carried out in June. To do this, you need to cut off young shoots, the height of which is 10 cm. For cutting, you can use pruners or sharp scissors.

The ends of the cuttings are immersed in water and wait until they take root.

Then the cuttings are inserted into the soil and covered with cut plastic bottles. They are not cleaned for a month. Next, the bottles are slightly raised so that the plant gets used to changes in temperature and humidity. After a few days, the bottle is completely removed. The cuttings are not replanted until next spring.

Seeds

Flowers are propagated by sowing in open ground extremely rarely; more often they are used for seedlings. When sowing seeds, you need to be sure of their freshness, as they quickly lose their viability.

Diseases and pests

The Virginia aster has a strong immune system, but is still susceptible to some diseases.

Powdery mildew

This is a fungal disease that appears as a white coating on plants. At the first signs of illness, treatment should be started immediately. Otherwise, powdery mildew can destroy the plant. Over time, the plaque will cover the entire ground part, the foliage will turn brown and fall off. This disease is treated with fungicides that contain copper.

Blackleg

Often, with excessive moisture and hot weather, a disease such as black leg appears. Its main symptom is blackening of the stem at the base. It is almost impossible to cure the affected plant, so they are dug up and burned.

In order to protect young shoots from this disease, they must be treated with Previkur or its analogues.

Fusarium

With fusarium blight, the foliage of September plants first turns yellow, and then turns brown and falls off. Fusarium also cannot be cured, so to combat it, preventive treatments should be carried out with Fundazol or Rovral.

Rust

Sometimes a red coating may appear on the plant. This is a sign of a disease called rust. They fight it with the help of fungicides like the drug “Skor”.

Meadow bug

It is rare, but still possible, to spot the meadow bug on asteraceae. This pest can be easily controlled using any available insecticide.

Spider mite

This pest can be red, orange or yellow in color. Its appearance on the plant is indicated by the appearance of small white dots on the foliage. At first they settle on the lower part of the leaf, and over time they move to the upper part. To destroy this mite, small-droplet spraying of bushes with phosphorus or sulfur preparations is carried out. Insecticides are also used: “Aktofit”, “Fitoverm” or “Vermitek”.

Aphid

These small flies settle on young shoots or on the underside of foliage. Aphids suck sap from plants and are carriers of various infections. These insects secrete a sweet substance called honeydew, which attracts other insects. To combat this pest, insecticides are used.

Slugs

You won’t be able to completely get rid of slugs, but you can protect the flower by mulching the soil around it. Slugs will not be able to cross a surface that is porous, dry or injurious. Protective mulch can include stone chips, spruce needles, and crushed egg shells.

Use in landscape design

September flowers are often used as hedges and borders, as well as for the design of alpine slides and rockeries. Late flowering of aster continues the life of alpine hills until frost.

And low-growing Virginia asters can be planted in pots and decorated with a balcony or terrace.

Kinds

There are several different types of Virginia aster. They come in various colors and sizes.

short

Low-growing varieties of Virginia aster do not exceed 30 cm in height. They look like hemispheres sprinkled with small flowers of different colors. Look great in the foreground in flower beds.

Medium height

Medium-height varieties grow about 45-80 cm. Their inflorescences may be slightly larger than those of low-growing species or of the same size.

High

Tall species of Septemberflowers can grow up to 2 meters in height, and they grow well without the need for a garter. Their inflorescences reach a maximum of 4 cm in diameter.

Ground cover

Such September flowers spread in a beautiful bright carpet across the soil. These are the types that are used for alpine slides.

Globular

There are varieties with spherical bushes. They do not grow higher than 70 cm.They look beautiful and harmonious as a hedge.

Terry

Some varieties have petals on the inflorescences, rolled into tubes, which are arranged in several rows, making the flowers appear double.

Popular varieties

There are about 1000 varieties of September flowers. But among this numerous variety, the most common ones are highlighted.

Audrey

This is a low-growing species of Virginia aster, the height of which does not exceed 45 cm. The color is pink.

Jenny

The Jenny variety also belongs to the low-growing asters. It is quite compact, its height is about 30 cm. The inflorescences are bright red.

Snowsprite

Snowsprite is a low-growing variety with lush white buds. The height of the bush is 35 cm.

Elina

And this variety belongs to the bushes of medium height. It grows up to 60-80 cm. The bush is densely strewn with bright pink flowers, so that the leaves are practically invisible.

Cassie

Cassie is a plant of medium height, but grows slightly higher than the previous variety, up to 80-85 cm. In September, the bush is covered with white flowers about 3 cm in diameter.

Royal Velvet

This is a medium-sized bush that blooms with bright blue-violet inflorescences. It is especially popular due to its unusual colors.

Whit Lady

These Septemberbrink bushes have a height exceeding 1 meter. The flower belongs to the tall varieties. Whit Lady flowers are white, as its name suggests.

Desertblue

The bushes of this Virginia aster grow up to 1 m. Flowers with a diameter of up to 3.5 cm are lilac in color.

Dastyrose

Another tall variety that can also reach a height of 1 m. Its flowers have a soft crimson hue and a diameter of up to 4 cm.

Amethyst

Violet or lilac flowers with a long flowering period lasting more than 1 month. The height of the variety is 1 m.

Dick Ballard

A bush with white flowers, the petals of which are arranged in two rows, with a flower diameter of up to 3 cm. Its height is 1 m. It blooms for about 35 days.

Sunset

A tall bush, reaching 1 m 20 cm. Its inflorescences are small in size, but quite bright crimson in color. Flowering period 30-35 days.

Medicinal properties

Like all asters, September flowers have medicinal properties. They are rich in flavonoids, coumarin and saponins. These substances make flowers medicinal.

The plant has the following properties:

• antipyretic;
• expectorant;
• antihistamine;
• anthelmintic.

And also decoctions from September flowers are effective for various problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Why don't they bloom

Sometimes Virginia aster bushes do not bloom. The reason for this may be a draft. Even if the bush grows in a sunny open area, it may not have time to bloom before frost due to the fact that it is constantly blown through. The bush may not bloom due to drought. When a plant lacks moisture, its root system begins to actively develop in order to provide itself with moisture. At the same time, the bush may simply not have enough strength to bloom.