Aster

Late Bloomers - Buy Aster Plants at Nature Hills!

The Aster plant has about 180 different species in the United States, and with the variety of choices, you can find a plant for almost any garden!

Derived from the Greek word that means "star" the Aster lives up to its name with lacy flowers that are star-shaped and resemble a Daisy with more numerous little slender petals!

Available in a variety of colors, these shy Perennials may go unnoticed all growing season until the end of the summer and fall! That's when the needle-like green leaves become more than just bushy greenery when they explode into drifts of vibrant blossoms with bright yellow centers!

This explosion is exactly when it is most needed since other flowers begin to fade! You gain fall color late in the season, and your pollinators that are looking for a late-season nectar and pollen resource - especially Monarch Butterflies gearing up for migration.

Asters In Your Garden

There are many uses for this brightly colored flowering plant. Until it is in bloom, the mounds or airy clumps are fantastic landscape fillers and backdrops for their earlier flowering perennials or garden plants.

Use in Cottage and Perennial borders, Rock Gardens, or in a special area that has the sun to part sun! A must-have for Cutting Gardens and no-brainers for the Pollinator Borders! Native forms of the Aster handle a wide variety of conditions from wet to xeric, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects rely on these little powerhouses!

Smaller plants can be planted in containers and mixed planters!

Perennial Aster Care

Caring for Aster plants is quite easy if you follow a few simple tips and procedures.

It is best to plant these Perennials in the spring, but you can plant them at any time during the growing season. Choose a location in well-drained soil that is exposed to full sun to light shade.

Even though Asters are drought-resistant, they need regular watering only during their first year until they are established. Water in the mornings and avoid wetting the leaves since this plant is susceptible to leaf fungus.

Fertilize sparingly, and mulch the root zone 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch to hold in moisture and insulate the roots.

If you want a thick plant with a blanket of blooms, cut stems to half their size in mid-July. This will encourage a bushier plant and more blooms! Once the plant has finished blooming or frost has killed back the tops, cut it to the ground and cover the crown with a layer of mulch. Asters do appreciate being divided every 3-5 years.

The best part of this fine-textured perennial is that it is reliable and comes back year after year!

Order your late-season blooms at Nature Hills Nursery today by clicking on a photo or calling our expert customer service team at (402) 934-8116!