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Annual Asters - your experience

aachenelf z5 Mpls

18 years ago

While looking through some of the seed catalogs I've received I started to look at asters. I've always stayed away from these because I thought all varieties were very susceptible to wilt. As a matter of fact, I've never even tried them, but want to this year.

What has been your experience with these? Any particular varieties you can recommend or ones I should stay away from?

Thanks

Kevin

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Comments (7)

katnip_ct
18 years ago
I grow them about every other year. I've never had any problem with wilt. I think my favourite variety is the "Seastar" I like their petals and they make a great cut flower. I was somewhat disappointed in the "Lilliput Blue Moon".
My only complaint about Asters is that I wish their blooming period was longer, still a nice addition to the annual garden.
susanzone5 (NY)
18 years ago
Don't use Thompson and Morgan...poor germination or none at all. I buy from Johnny's or Parks. Asters are great some years and diseased other years for me. I take a chance because they are gorgeous. Like katnip says, they are short lived, so pick them as soon as they bloom for indoor enjoyment. They are very special and worth the time.
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I have a decent sized area full of echinaceas and I've had a few plants over the years have Asters yellows. Most likely from me bringing in another echincea with it. so I've been fine with just pulling the infected plant out. My father built and tended a large public garden area for 15 years and had large patches of susceptible plants. There were some infected rudbeckia that he "enjoyed the look of" and refused to remove. With that said, it doesn't seem to spread incredibly fast by any means. Mite infected plants are being sold just as much as AY plants, so you have to be careful with them too. Besides just removing the infected cones during the season, I've been seemingly successful by just clear cutting my echinacea bed to the ground earlier in the fall when the plants are looking ratty but haven't been knocked back from frosts. I then just remove all the plant debris. The mite infected cones have been reducing year by year.
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aachenelf z5 Mpls
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you so much for your comments. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I was going to order the Blue Moon. They really look nice in both catalogs, but after the above comment, I guess I'll continue to look at the other varieties.

Parks prices are much better than T&M, so I'm sure that's where I will get them from.

Thanks again

Kevin
bigcityal
18 years ago
Kevin,
I've grown them for 3 or 4 years. I've never had any disease problems. I will agree that they shine bright for a short period. I think that they are worth a planter every year. Can't remember the type - white, pink and blue mix.
Pieris
18 years ago
I've had problems with them. Don't put them out till the weather is warm amd don't overwater. Good luck.
annebert
18 years ago
When I worked on a flower farm, we grew the Matsumoto series (from plugs). Good cut flowers. I also grew from seed the Benary's Princess series. Can't remember what the germination rate was, but maybe it wasn't great - possibly that's why the flower farm used plugs. References all warn about aster yellows, but I haven't experienced them yet. But I think only asters get them, so if they get the disease, you yank them out, and that's it. Not a big deal.
katnip_ct
18 years ago
I usually buy my seeds from Parks or Pinetree. Thankfully I still get the T & M catalog although I haven't ordered in about 5 years from them. I like to use it as a reference. But like others have said, their prices are high and germination rate is low.

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