Asters Ideas, Tips & Guides

Reports show that the population of bees has continued to fall, putting food security at risk as they play a crucial role in pollination. The fast population decline can be attributed to the continued use of agricultural chemicals, climate change, and other factors such as urban development.

The following plants come from habitats that are seasonally or permanently wet, yet they can thrive in drier upland regions too. They are also tolerant of different soil types and textures. 

Purple is a powerful color, and purple perennial flowers are a wonderful way to introduce more of this color to the garden. While I don’t know much about using purple for interior design, art, or fashion, I do know how to use it in a garden. The power and bravado of purple in the landscape is undeniable, especially when it comes to perennials. Today, I’d like to share 24 of my favorite purple perennial flowers. Whether their shade of purple is dark and regal or light and luscious, these beauties add depth, richness, and a pop of color to your garden. Types of perennials with purple flowers Fans of purple in the garden are always pleased to learn that there are violet-hued bloom

The ultimate height of Oxypetalum – my garden, at least-is from a foot and a half to two feet. Although described as of trailing or twining habit, my plants have grown upright, with neat stiff stems that need no support. When broken, they exude the milky juice characteristic of the family, and the long pointed seed pods, filled with silken down, are also typical. The foliage is soft grayish-green and of velvety texture. The flowers are star-shaped, an inch or more across, growing in flat clusters over the top of the plant. They last for several days, even under the hottest sun, and are the only flowers I have ever seen which can be truthfully and accurately described as of the purest turquoise blue. This exquisite color is retained until just before the blossoms fade when they change to a pretty mauve.

Against a backdrop of gently swaying tall Grasses, this garden recreates the look of a prairie wildflower meadow. Make sure you have enough room for the Saccharum Grass-it gets huge! If space is limited, you may want to use Calamagrostis `Karl Foerster’ in its place. Give this garden a full day’s sun and average soil. Before planting, clear the area of existing grass or weeds. After you have installed the perennials, sow seeds of a nonaggressive Grass, such as Little Bluestem, between them. These will grow into tufts of pretty meadow Grass, lending even more of a naturalistic look while helping to suppress weeds. Just a late-winter cutting of the dried Grasses and stalks is all the maintenance you’ll need to do. Since all of these wildflowers are from sturdy stock, they’ll need supplemental watering only during periods of drought. From midsummer through fall, this little piece of prairie will sing with color.

Happy New Year! It is your GPOD editor Joseph here, and today I’m sharing some of my New Year’s Resolutions… for my garden. Some things that I’m thinking I want do to in the garden this year.

We visited Harriet Johnson’s Maine garden last week, but just focused on what she’d planted in a space that had previously been an in ground pool. She mentioned to me that she had other garden spaces too, so I asked if she’d let us visit those as well… happily she agreed, and today we’re getting a tour of the space she calls her fence garden:

These vibrant blossoms have rich purple petals that blend seamlessly with striking yellow centers that can make any garden setting pop! They’re also great for attracting beneficial pollinators!

Words by Joanna Fortnam

We’re off to Canada today to visit Anne’s garden.

I am Kris Northup, and I live in beautiful central Pennsylvania, Zone 6b. We are having an unusually long growing season here this year, presenting us with some really amazing fall foliage.

Certain blossoms stand as a timeless symbol of friendship, signifying camaraderie and mutual admiration. Choosing the right Flowers for Friendship is a delicate art; don’t worry! We will help you pick the right one!

Succumbing to the urge to move unusually lanky aster Symphyotrichum‘Little Carlow’ today instead of waiting till it was dormant, I also moved the sanguisorba I featured in a vase a few weeks ago, and again today, a little nearer the fence. Whilst doing so, I realised the label read Sanguisorba dodecandra and not S canadensis as I had thought. Googling doesn’t tell me a lot about the former, and illustrations suggest it looks more like the latter, so it remains a bit of a puzzle. The aster looks all the better with something behind it and, having dug it out with a large rootball, doesn’t look any the worse for its experience; the sanguisorba, however, is now glowering at me and I cut a few flowering stems for today’s vase rather than leave them to a potentially slow demise on the plant.

Last week I chose random blooms for my Monday vase, blooms that had missed out on being featured; this week I am choosing (mostly) blooms with shorter stems, blooms that have missed out to others such as dahlias, which could otherwise easily dominate vases from June to October.

Sometimes plants are just like us gardeners and can’t wait to get going at the beginning of the season. Often our gardens trumpet forth in a symphony of color and texture but then start to fade out as autumn approaches, leaving us to wish for some awesome soloist to come in and take over the show. This is where ‘Grape Crush’ New England aster comes to the rescue.

I may have been critical of Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’ yesterday, bemoaning its height and slowness to flower, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the flowers – because I do. It’s as if all the buds have opened at once, the froth of small lavender blooms creating an appealing haze of colour, accentuated by the addition of miscanthus plumes. Grasses seemed to be the ideal choice to complement the single stem of aster, and inspecting the two or three miscanthus in the garden I was pleased to find at least three flowering stems on Miscanthus ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ (Little Silver Spider).

I gave up being sensitive about my lack of height many years ago, but still feel rather intimidated by tall plants in the garden; actually, intimidated is not the word, perhaps it’s more a case of being a little uncomfortable about their presence, particularly in a smaller border. For that reason, I tend to avoid adding plants that are listed as being above a certain height, perhaps 1.5m (5 feet) or so, but even that is pushing it a bit. Sadly, that doesn’t allow for plants that grow beyond their supposed height (David Austin roses are particularly skilled in this deception). This week, for example, I read an article suggesting Dahlia ‘David Howard’, at 0.7m, was a good choice for a front-of-border position – someone is having a larf, as mine (the orange one at the back in the above picture) towers above me at well over 2m tall (around 7 feet), and always has done.

Many plants have something to ­offer as the growing season winds down, but to truly take advantage of the best of fall, one should grow the three pillars of the autumn garden.

In Issue 181, we got to know some of the plants that grace Mt. Cuba Center’s hot, sunny South Garden during the spring and summer months (10 Great Natives for a Sunny Border). The garden had been recently redesigned to showcase a collection of borderworthy natives that can take the heat of the Zone 7 summers in Hockessin, Delaware.

Some plants, of course, are naturally late bloomers, like asters, helenium and chrysanthemum, but what about those that ‘should’ flower from early summer, but don’t? I am rather disappointed with the annual Chinese aster, callistephus (above), this year, as it is only just coming into bloom, especially as this variety, C ‘Duchess Blue’ is such a glorious shade. I am also growing C ‘Hulk’, which I think may be a greenish flower, which is even tardier. I have only grown these once before and was disappointed with their short flowering period, so with delayed flowering to take on boar too I might not bother again.

Because color is so personal, it’s often one of the easiest design elements to nail down; people immediately know which colors they like and dislike. However, when choosing your garden color palette, don’t forget to consider the mood or atmosphere you wish to evoke. Cool colors have a calming effect, while warm colors grab your attention and elicit feelings of excitement.

Living and working in northwestern Oregon, garden designer Wesley Younie is no stranger to dealing with challenging environments. When presented with this garden’s elevation changes, drainage management, and extreme climate conditions, he devised a plan that addresses it all—along with a specific functional wish list from the homeowners. Want to know which plants he used? Here are the plant IDs for this beautiful, sustainable landscape.

Now that October is here, you must be busy with theessential gardening jobs for this autumn month. For most people, this time of the year is especially pleasing because of the cooler nights, warm sunny days, and pretty autumn foliage.

Not sure – What Colors Do Marigolds Come In? Well, the hues in which these blooms come, they might surprise you! Let’s have a look!

Illinois has a wonderful biodiversity. It is the habitat to many species of plants that harmoniously live and adapt to each other. This article will provide a Complete List Of Illinois Native Plants. Jump right in and lets start this journey!

One gardeners Daisy is another gardeners weed. This Ox- Eye daisy is made up from numerous white ray flowers surrounding a bright yellow disk flower or florets the outer white petals are common in many daisies. Bellis perennis is the common daisy growing in meadows and many lawns. Lots of children will be familiar with the Daisy chains made by linking flowers together.

What plants evoke memories of your childhood. For me there are some old favourites that you can try again now in your natural garden. They are often available in a better form as seed and selection has improved over the years.

Daisy is the name applied to many flowers of the Asteraceae or Compositae family. Flowers in this group include Aster, Bellis daisy, or Sunflower family plus Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Calendula, Dendranthema, Argyranthemum, Dahlia, Tagetes, Zinnia even Lettuce and many others.

‘Aster Frikartii Monch’

Discover the surprising truth about butterflies and their dietary habits in this informative article—Do Butterflies Drink Blood? Also, learn how butterflies obtain their nutrition and the unique sources they seek for sustenance.

Cudweeds (Gamochaeta spp.) are herbs in the aster family that serve as host plants for American painted lady caterpillars. There are about fifty plus species, and all are native to the Americas. Most cudweeds are annuals and can be either winter or summer annuals. They flower in mid-spring to early summer or in early fall. Some cudweeds can be biennial, meaning that they will form a basal rosette that can survive the winter and flower in their second year.

Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is sometimes referred to as Goldenstar. It is a native groundcover that grows to four inches tall and does well in dappled shade or morning sun and afternoon shade. It is related to asters and sunflowers. The plant grows like a strawberry with a rosette of leaves and creeping stolons that root at each node and give rise to new rosettes of leaves and flowers.

Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris ) is an annual winter weed in the aster family. Luckily, it rarely becomes a problem in the lawn since it does not survive mowing. It can, however, quickly become a problem in vegetable gardens and landscape beds if ignored. Common groundsel can produce flowers within 45 days of germination and up to 25,000 seeds per plant. The seeds are easily spread by the wind due to their feathery bristles, called pappus, that function as a parachute. The seeds do not survive for long in the soil; therefore, diligent removal before flowering can help get infestations under control in a couple of seasons. After pulling, plants need to be disposed of, as open flowers can continue to produce seeds if left in the landscape.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a gardening symposium in Louisiana. One of my favorite fall-flowering wildflowers, swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), was in full bloom all along the roadsides. Thankfully, I wasn’t driving, so I could enjoy the stunning display.

American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius) is an annual summer weed. It is native to North America and is a member of the aster family. It is a fast-growing weed that can reach heights up to eight feet.

Perennial asters have pretty, daisy-like flowers that bloom late in the season. Low-profile types add ribbons of color to borders while potted types make front elevations pop with curb appeal.Taller varieties make delightful bed