Aster

Aster (Star Flower) can be used for fantastic fall color and grown with great success in all hardiness zones.

It’s difficult to comprehend what occurs in a certain region of the country that causes a plant or plants to enjoy great popularity.

Is it simply promotion of a plant by proving that it is not only floriferous but hardy too?

The following is a good example of just such a situation in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area that started many years ago.

A local grower started a hot frame and greenhouse business in the 1940s’ and among the crops that he grew were pansies.

He and his family grew beautiful plants that were in demand in many parts of the country but only in very limited numbers close to home.

His company sold pansies for many years by mail order and developed a quality reputation so that repeat orders were the norm.

The fifties, sixties, seventies and most of the eighties came and went until finally local gardeners and landscapes began to use Pansies in the fall.

Now we have a riot of color all across our beautiful city during fall and winter months with the largest display of colorful flowers in the spring.

Of course when the warmer days of spring arrive Pansies have to be removed from the garden and spring and summer flowers installed.

Pansy varieties do not tolerate our light intensity and heat.

Prior to the great popularity of Pansies the Garden Mum family had its’ hey day and thousands were planted every fall but were too expensive to plant in mass.

Not nearly as many Garden Mums are planted in the fall in this part of the country at this time and have been replaced by the afore mentioned pansy varieties, Flowering Kale and Cabbage along with some excellent new Violas.

Yes you are correct in that this is meant to be an article on hardy members of the Star Flower Family.

The point that I am about to make is; what is it going to take to wake up local gardeners that the Asters have a great deal to offer us in the way of fall color and they do not have to be removed and disposed of each spring.

It took well over forty years to introduce Pansies to this market so how long will it be before we wake up to the use of Asters?

Among the Star Flower Family members are a number of great wildflowers that thrive in prairie and woodland settings.

Many improved varieties with star shaped blossoms exist with a wide range of colors such as:

• crimson-red
• white
• blue
• violet
• rose
• lavender-blue
• purple
• violet-blue
• rose-pink
• violet-purple
• cerise-red
• lavender-pink

Each summer prior to mid July we advise you to pinch them back which will develop a more compact plant with far more flowers than if left un-pinched.

In closing we would like to invite you to plant a multitude of Asters this year.

Good gardening!