A garden plot, even a very small one, is almost never without flowers. And of course, shrub aster occupies a special place among them. We will tell about this unpretentious, but very beautiful plant in our article.
Shrub aster: description
This is a perennial plant. Its height ranges from 30 to 90 cm (depending on the variety), the stems are branched, due to which the bush resembles a ball in shape. The leaves are oblong, oval in shape, serrated at the edges, located densely on pubescent branches. They are rough on top and smooth on the bottom. The leaves are quite dense, dark green in color.
Buds are formed at the tops of the branches. Flowers from three to seven centimeters in diameter. Can be dyed in various colors - white, blue, purple, purple, burgundy, etc.
Astra shrub prefers dry and sandy soils. Flowering begins in the second half of August or at the very beginning of September and lasts up to seven weeks. Therefore, these flowers in the garden will delight you with a picturesque view for a long time. They can bloom until frost.
Astrashrubby: planting and care
To plant this plant, you should choose a bright place well warmed by the sun. The soil should be well drained and loose. These conditions must be observed if you want to grow a lush, he althy and profusely flowering bush. In partial shade or in the shade, the plant develops slowly, and if, in addition, the soil becomes swampy, the plant becomes ill, flowering becomes scarce, and over time the bush may die.
In order for these flowers in the garden to keep the shape of a ball and the bush does not fall apart, the aster must be planted in a place sheltered from drafts and strong winds.
Feeding
The soil before planting should be enriched with organic fertilizers. The next procedure is carried out the next year. For this, it is necessary to use complex water-soluble fertilizers. When the first buds appear on the bush, phosphorus-containing dressings can be used.
Cutting and garter
In order for the aster bush to have a rounded shape, you should cut off the extra branches. This is necessary not only to give the bush a well-groomed and neat appearance, this process stimulates a more active growth of branches, which will give the plant splendor and density, and also increases the number of inflorescences by autumn.
Shrubs that grow up to 80 cm must be strengthened by tying them to a support. To do this, carefully drive in a peg near the base of the bush and tie the plant to it. Thick branches will reliably hide such a support, and it will not be visible at all. During flowering, to keep the magnificentdecorative plant, remove dried inflorescences.
Reproduction
Astra shrub propagated vegetatively or by seeds. The latter option is used quite rarely, since seed germination is lost rather quickly. They should be sown immediately after harvest, before the onset of winter in open ground or in early spring at a depth of about two centimeters.
Vegetative propagation is much more commonly used. It is necessary to divide the bush in early spring. At the same time, weak stems should also be removed. Many gardeners propagate the aster without digging up the bush. To do this, separate one or two parts from the bush, which can then be divided into even smaller sprouts. One part of the bush must contain at least five new shoots.
Wintering
Shrub asters easily endure frosty winters. After flowering is completed, cut the bush under the root and cover it with dry leaves or compost. This method is especially important for young plants that have not yet fully formed the root system.
Popular aster varieties: Jenny
Compact and very pretty plants. Look great in the design of the garden in summer and autumn. Form almost spherical dense bushes. In summer they are covered with lanceolate sessile, dense leaves, and in autumn the plant is literally strewn with bright basket inflorescences. They are not large - no more than three centimeters in diameter.
Aster Jenny has erect, strongly branched and pubescent stems. Their heighta little over forty centimeters. It blooms from the end of August until the first snow is very abundant, the flowers are painted in pink or crimson. Dislikes areas that are too hot and dry.
Perennial asters, to which this variety also belongs, are frost-resistant plants that winter well without shelter. During flowering, frosts down to -7 degrees are tolerated. They feel quite comfortable on different soils, but it develops and blooms better on fertile, nutrient-rich soil.
This type of shrub asters is used in arrays, group plantings, ribbons and singly on the lawn. Great for borders and rock gardens. You should pay attention to the fact that even in late autumn the flower garden receives a sufficient amount of light.
Spruce Aster Matsumoto
This species belongs to the popular group of shrub - cut asters. The bush grows up to 70 cm. It is quite compact, cylindrical in shape, with dense stems. Inflorescences are rounded. Their diameter is 8.5 cm. They have a yellow core. Reed flowers can have a different color. The inflorescences are crowned with tall, graceful stems and, with the slightest breath of wind, give the impression of a waterfall.
The advantages of this plant, no doubt, include high resistance to adverse weather conditions and diseases, as well as abundant and long flowering.
Aurora
The bush is strong, columnar, up to 65 cm high. It has very strong peduncles up to 40 cm long, densely covered with leaves. The inflorescences are flat and slightly rounded, up to 10 cm in diameter. Reed flowers are quite wide, arranged in one row along the very edge of the inflorescence. On a bush with proper care, up to 30 inflorescences develop. Flowering lasts two months. Perfect for cutting. The variety is often found in the collections of amateur gardeners.
Astra Christina
Another very popular variety of bush asters. It attracts with late flowering and compact bushes. Astra shrub Christina does not grow to more than 50 cm. The plant grows very quickly with underground shoots. The leaves are dark green, somewhat tapered. The flowers are white with a bright yellow center. Flowering continues from early September to late October. Needs rejuvenation (digging and division) every three years. Looks spectacular on the alpine slides.
Astra Needle
The bush is strong, slightly branched, columnar. Height up to 60 cm, diameter - 35 cm. Inflorescences are hemispherical or flat-round, terry. Diameter about ten centimeters. Reed flowers, fused along the length into a tube, are arranged in 7 rows along the very edge of the inflorescence, the middle ones are bent towards the middle, the marginal ones are horizontal. Tubular flowers are small, yellow. As a rule, the bush has about twelve inflorescences. The duration of flowering is 50 days.
Starlight
Perennial plant with upright pubescent stems. Aster shrub Starlight branches very strongly, forming a shapeoval or ball. In height, the bush grows up to 50 cm. It tolerates drought and frost very well. It blooms profusely with light purple flowers from August until frost. Prefers fertilized light soils. The plant is planted at a distance of forty centimeters, so that the underground shoots of young plants are covered with soil with a layer of 3 cm.
