Difficult question. Depends on which you're talking about. Confusion with the new names. There's attractive annual Callistephus (Aster) chinensis (China aster). Earlier blooming low asters include Aster alpinus (alpine aster), which is spring blooming. Aster tongolensis (East Indies aster) is mid/late summer. Symphyotrichium (Aster) divaricata (white wood's aster) is quite low and begins blooming in mid/late summer. Picture below is Sept 2, 2010. The earliest taller aster (find it always needs staking) I know of is Aster x frikartii (e.g. 'Mönch'), starts blooming in late summer. The big Symphyotrichium (Aster), S. novae-angliae (New England asters) and S. novi-belgii (New York asters) and hybrids are all fall blooming. This post was edited by SunnyBorders on Mon, Sep 16, 13 at 17:03

That sounds great Lisa! It's always nice to teach a class, and WS is so easy that people figure it out right away. You're welcome to print out whatever you want from WinterSown.Org. I suggest you tell the class to bring empty clean milkjugs, salad containers, soil, and you bring seeds, tape, knife scissors and printouts. Bring some bags and coarboard boxes so everyone can take their containers home easily. Do NOT do watering of the containers at the site, but instead tell people for this occasion to bottom soak the containers at home. At the class talk about WSing principles, seed saving, sowing seeds, soltice sowing, and natural germination, etc--it's your class so make it your own and do it as you feel is important. For seed sowing help them make their containers, rub in their seeds and seal the containers. Don't forget to vent. It sounds harder than it is, the bulk of the work is in the preparation, but otherwise it's a fun class to teach and goes quickly. T

Thank you for the suggestions! I planted dumosus this summer and they've bloomed already...so I have high hopes for them next year. The Andrella variety from T&M is very pretty--I might have to give them a try next season. Sharon--Your laevis actually blooms at the end of august? Wow--I planted mine in the fall 2 years ago. Right now mine is really big (20-24" tall and about 18" across) and covered in buds. Two killing frosts so far, its just a matter days before the big wammie arrives--I doubt I will see blooms this year (again :-( ). I'm wondering what's the story with mine. Maybe I should try moving mine away from the house. Technically I am in the same zone as you Sharon. I've had no trouble with zone 4 plants over wintering in the bed where the laevis is as long as the plant has had time to settle in. Maybe the soil in that bed stays too warm in August? Another avid gardener friend of mine said she had just torn out all of her asters this year. She was frustrated with no

call me cruel to plants, but I guess you culd call me a minimalist, in that, if I ned to give a plant special care for overwintering, then that plant likely wil not survive and will be replaced by some other plant next year! Other than periodic amending of the soil, top dressing with compost or some other mulch, and occasional watering of the garden in it's 1styear, I do little maintenance (except weeding, that is) and even as far as weeding gos, I'm going to try soil solarization and see if that helps eliminate some of the weeds in new beds this year. (I plant most of my flower beds in the fall, so solarization during the summer might be a viable option for me...fingers crossed) Mark-