Hello there,

in autumn 2008 I bought some Aster ageratoides var. ovatus fo. yez. 'Asran'. The wild form comes from Hokaido. Well, I had wanted Aster divaricartus which I knew as a resiliant sturdy work horse plant for drier spots near shrubs or trees. The nursery offered this Asran as a substitute, assuring that it was very tough as well.

And indeed, it thrived in the border (with some hours of sun shine, not very dry). When I moved a plant in autumn 2009 I discovered those rhizomes: growth of one season.

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Asters in the background

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And after the second season I think it is spreading too much for my taste. My border is really small and I am aiming for a low maintenance planting. Those guys started crowding my Anemone jap.-hybrid Anne Atkinson (5 feet and more with flower stalks). And that`s what made me think to remove those Asters. All in all, I do some hand weeding of the ocasional seedling or weed. I watered about 4 times in the heat of the summer, and I cut down the old stuff in spring. That`s it. But keeping those spreaders in check would tip the balance IMO. What do you think? And where do yo keep yours? Just curious. Thanks a lot, cheers, Lin