Garden aster has been well known to people since antiquity. At one time, she captivated with her beauty the inhabitants of ancient Greece, and China, and Korea, and Mongolia. It is these countries that are the birthplace of this flower.
Today, this plant can be found in city squares, in street flower beds, and in front gardens. Astra is loved not only for its beauty, but also for the duration of flowering. It especially pleases with its colors in autumn, when the sky is often overcast and there are more gray days.
History of Aster
Chinese aster has many admirers all over the world. Translated from Greek, its name means "star", which is associated with many legends. For example, the ancient Greeks believed that these were the tears of the cosmic Virgo, which turned into dust, from which beautiful flowers grew. Since they associated this constellation with the goddess of love Aphrodite, the flower became her symbol.
They sincerely believed that if at nightstand among the asters, you can hear how they quietly talk with the stars.
In China, since ancient times, the annual aster has symbolized feminine beauty, elegance and modesty. For many European peoples, it has become a symbol of sadness for the lost paradise, therefore it was considered a fragment of a distant and inaccessible star.
Many believed that aster leaves thrown into a fire could ward off snakes, but most often this flower is called the autumn rose, as it is the brightest and most beautiful plant that blooms during this period.
Description of the plant
Chinese aster has a widely branched root system and erect green or reddish stems. With a height of 20 cm to 90 cm, they can have both straight and branched shoots. The leaves are alternate, oval with green teeth.
The inflorescence is a basket of tubular or reed petals of varying degrees of doubleness. Each flower has a yellowish center, while the outer side can be pink, purple, burgundy, white, crimson or lilac.
Flowering begins in July and continues until frost. To date, Chinese aster in the wild is not as attractive as hybrid varieties, which differ in size, color, and flowering time.
If planting it in the garden, it is better to choose a place open to the sun, with moderate soil and air humidity.
Varieties
There are more than 4000 varieties of asters in the world,which are divided into 40 types. Among such a variety, the annual aster stands apart. It was singled out as a separate species under the general name callistefus, which is translated from ancient Greek as "beautiful flower". The most popular varieties among them are:
- "Dragon" - a series, the distinguishing feature of which are the flower petals. In the inflorescence they are inclined towards the center, while the outer ones have a twisted appearance. With a diameter of 10-12 cm, it looks very impressive. The plant grows in a tall "column" with 8-10 powerful stems. Flowers last long after cutting.
- The Balun series has large, up to 13 cm in diameter, spherical flowers with a large number of petals. Their conical shape prevents water from getting into the middle, which prevents rotting. Grows in a bush of 6-8 stems.
- The "Princess" series is represented by female names, for example, Veronica, Hilda, Alexandra and others. They are characterized by large (up to 12 cm) semi-double flowers with petals twisted into thin tubes. There are 10-12 shoots in a bush.
- The "Pompoms" series has the smallest (up to 5 cm) flowers, but abundantly covering the bush. Bi-color species are common.
These varieties of annual asters are most common in gardeners' beds because of their beauty and unpretentiousness.
Growing asters
Callistefus chinensis can be sown directly on the bed when frosts have already been established, or in the spring, covering the seedlings with a film for safety. At home, they can be sown for seedlings. The seeds of thisthe plants are so small and light that there are up to 450-500 pieces per 1 g. When buying seed, you should pay attention to the expiration date, since aster has only 2 years of germination.
When choosing flowers for giving, you should think in advance about the place for them. Asters prefer a sunny side with average soil and air humidity, although they can tolerate partial shade well. The best soil for these flowers is fertile with neutral or slightly alkaline acidity.
A few days before planting seedlings, the soil should be fertilized with humus and wood ash. For large varieties, a distance between bushes of up to 30 cm should be observed, for medium-sized varieties - 20 cm, and for small varieties up to 10 cm is enough.
Aster care
Although in general the Chinese aster is not picky, to get lush ornamental bushes, you should take a little care of her.
In dry weather, it should be watered abundantly, avoiding stagnant water
- The first top dressing, consisting of a complex of mineral fertilizers, should be carried out 2 weeks after planting, provided that the plant has taken root.
- Subsequent top dressing is carried out during the periods of budding and flowering. You can use fertilizers that affect the brightness of the color and growth of the plant.
- Tall and lush bushes should be tied up.
These are all the requirements that Chinese aster makes. Growing it does not cause trouble, but you can get a flower bed of beautiful and bright "stars" that bloom until frost.
Reproduction
This kind of flowersreproduces only by seeds. You can sow them both at home in pots, and in a greenhouse, and in open ground.
After sowing, sprinkle with dry crushed humus, pour over and cover the seeds with a film. They sprout on the fifth to tenth day, but until the first leaves appear, it is necessary to maintain the temperature up to +20 degrees. After that, it must be reduced to +15 for the plant to develop well.
You need to transplant seedlings into open ground in June, when the heat is already established, then the flowers will bloom in late July or August and last until the end of October. If you do this earlier, then you should prepare for the fact that her flowering period will be reduced.
Diseases
The most common disease that asters can be susceptible to is Fusarium. Symptoms appear in plants during bud formation or flowering. There are no radical ways to combat this fungal disease, but it can be avoided by taking a number of preventive measures.
- Firstly, these flowers cannot be planted in the same place earlier than after 5 years of break.
- Secondly, when preparing the soil, do not use fresh compost or manure, replacing them with humus.
- Thirdly, it is better to treat the seeds with an antifungal solution before sowing.
- Fourth, do not plant plants close to each other so that they can be well ventilated.
- Fifth, make sure that water does not stagnate around the root collar.
If some plantsick, it must be immediately removed and burned. In addition to fusarium, asters can become "victims" of gray rot and powdery mildew, from which spraying with a solution of foundationazole will save.
Pests
The main pests of asters are:
- A bud aphid that infects a plant at the seedling stage, which has only 3-4 first leaves. It deforms the leaves and, as it were, twists them. Pest control is spraying with chlorophos, depis or karbofos before the flower has more than 4 leaves.
- Special preparations, such as Iskra and metaldehyde, save from tobacco thrips and slugs.
If you carry out preventive work and make sure that the asters do not have stagnation of water in the soil, then otherwise these are the best flowers for giving. They are beautiful, long blooming and unfussy.
