Perennial asters are transition plants that refresh gardens from late summer to fall with masses of small blossoms in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white.
In our guide to growing asters, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate various species and cultivars in the home landscape.
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This article zeroes in on seven tips for pruning perennial asters that enable you to manage their stature, limit self-seeding, encourage blooming, promote airflow, and maintain vigor.
Here’s the lineup:
1. Cut and Enjoy
One way to stimulate lush growth is to randomly cut blooming stems to make bouquets and vase arrangements. When stems are cut, flora is stimulated to grow new ones and produce even more flowers.
Use this technique to restore balance to a plant with wayward, leggy stems. Removing them to enjoy as cut flowers is an excellent way to maintain shape.
2. Cut Back at Season’s End
When the growing season draws to a close, cut all stems to about two inches above the ground, and dispose of the debris. This keeps the garden tidy, and inhibits the wintering over of pathogens and pests.
Some folks like to leave end of season stems in place, but unless you’ve deadheaded the spent blossoms during the growing season, you’ll have masses of fluffy seed heads with the potential to sow themselves throughout the landscape.
Native seeds produce true replicas of parents, but hybrids may produce variable results, non-viable seed, or no seed at all.
Be sure to mark the location of plants so you know where they are next spring.
3. Deadhead to Promote Blooming
Deadheading is the process of cutting an entire stem
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