Aster flower - what it looks like, leaf colors

The question of what the flowers of aster look like is difficult to answer unequivocally, the Astrov family is so large. There are more than 40 species groups that differ in the shape, splendor of inflorescences, bush height, leaf shape, flowering period. Asters are small alpine meadow flowers that resemble daisies, and chic Chinese callistephuses, which are easily confused with chrysanthemums.

Aster - what kind of garden flower is it, what family does it belong to?

The culture got its name from the Latin word "aster". There are consonant translations of the word "star" in the ancient Greek, Proto-Indo-European languages.

Asters in the garden

Aster is a flower from the genus of herbaceous crops of the Compositae family. Inflorescences-baskets make up three types of flowers:

transitional;
tubular;
reed.

Aster is often called the autumn rose. The peony variety Duchess is distinguished by delicate shades, lush buds

There are 600 kinds of flowers in the world. Due to their species diversity, asters:

grown as marketable flowers;
used in landscape design for flower beds and alpine slides;
decorate balconies, loggias, open terraces with low-growing bushes.

Composite-colored aster plants differ in flowering time, pleasing to the eye from spring to late autumn. There are annual and perennial species, many of which have received their own names.

Brief description, history of origin or selection

China is considered the birthplace of the flower, from there in the 18th century asters came to Europe. Certain species of wild-growing asters are found in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and the Far East. Scientists from many European countries and America were engaged in breeding. There are known varieties from France, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden. Many domestic species have been bred. Asters of the Voronezh breeding station are especially popular.

Russian hazel grouse: what a flower looks like

Asters are bushy plants with a strong, hairy, erect stem. Aster leaves are spatulate in perennial species, toothed in annuals. They grow large at the bottom, small at the top. The root system of asters is fibrous.

Important! Asteraceae roots quickly recover, the plant adapts well to new conditions, grows quickly. You can transplant astrochkas at any age.

On a tricolor aster, the types of flowers are clearly visible. The wrapper of small leaves looks gorgeous

When asters bloom

The main thing is the aster inflorescence; in the descriptions of the variety, two types of flowers are usually distinguished:

tubular, similar to elongated narrow bells, they are located in the center of the basket, form seed pods;
ligulate grow outside the inflorescence in one or more rows.

Tongue petals give flowers a unique shape, there are:

narrow;
twisted;
straight;
bending;
accrete;
scapular;
oval;
needle-like.

Inflorescences vary in diameter:

small from 1.5 to 4 cm;
averages are more than 4, less than 6 cm;
large up to decimeter;
very large, 17-19 cm.

By form:

flat with one or more rows of reed petals;
flat-rounded slightly raised in the center;
hemispherical with a tubular center and tongue edges;
spherical, consisting of tubular or reed petals of various shapes (the envelope is almost invisible).

The little baskets grow:

on the central stem (usually the largest);
shoots of the first order (coming from the trunk);
of the second order (coming from the shoots of the first order).

Important! Seeds are oblong-wedge-shaped, small, maroon or yellow. They remain viable for up to 3 years.

Classification of flowers with the names of popular varieties, how they look

Aster novi-belgii (Aster novi-belgii)

The name of the aster species is usually associated with the shape and structure of the buds, which type of flowers prevails.

By the way, the more tubular flowers in the inflorescence, the more seeds are obtained. The buds are cut in dry weather after the petals wilt. Dry in a ventilated, warm, dry place.

The annual pompon aster consists almost entirely of tubular flowers up to 2 cm long.

Annuals

The heat-loving aster of garden botany is distinguished as a separate annual species Callistephus chinensis. These are large-sized basket inflorescences on a high stem (solitary or branching in the upper part).

Perennial

They are used to decorate plots, urban areas. Perennial cold-resistant shrub, greenery. The buds can withstand frosts down to -5 ° C, winter well, and grow rapidly.

Popular varieties:

the autumn medium-sized aster Jenny with multi-row pink reed petals, a raised core of tubular buds;
high late grade Lady in Blue, a variety of saintbrinks with baskets up to 4 cm in diameter;
cut-off view of Gremlin with needle-like lush inflorescences;
Anderson's variety resembles a pharmacy chamomile.

New Belgian bush perennial aster Maria Ballard is not inferior in beauty to annuals. Blooms for two months

Dwarf

Used for alpine lawns, balcony decoration. The smallest height of the Monpassier variety, only 15 cm. Pinocchio, Summer, Border aster grows up to 25 cm. Slightly higher, up to 35 cm varieties Milady, Olympiada, Lilliput, Scarlett, Triumph. Usually mixes are sold in different colors from white to dark purple.

Important! Low-growing species include creeping heather species with shoots up to one meter. Woolly-flowered bud of paniculate appearance looks plush from a distance.

Average

Known varieties of Arlecchino white, apricot, salmon, pink, blue with hemispherical buds. For cutting, the varieties Daria, Assol, Bride, Raspberry Ball, Rita, Smile and others are grown. View Excellent Rakli is valued for two or three colors on one bush.

Long

The meter-long stems of the white aster Symphony are crowned with spherical double inflorescences up to 9 cm in diameter. Serotypes "Gala" of various colors form a pyramidal bush up to 80 cm in height, densely double buds reach 12 cm. Another breeding species is Lady Coral. Differs in color from yellow aster to dark purple. The size of the inflorescences is up to 17 cm.

Aster white Cloud is universal, forms a semi-spreading bush.

Pompom

They are distinguished by a large number of spherical inflorescences. Alena is a medium-sized variety of a raspberry-red hue. Late cultivar White ball, columnar, universal. Erfur dwarf - undersized, border asters. Princess Mix, Natasha, Anita are appreciated.

Acicular

Reed narrow petals have the ability to curl. Alice mixture, early flowering, annual, buds up to 11 cm in diameter. Up to 16 buds open at the same time. Bouquet variety Galaxy is characterized by massive flowering, forms up to 24 buds. White Unicum, Comilfo, Snowflake.

In the needle aster, the petals are narrow, resembling long thorns. Inflorescences are hemispherical or spherical

Peony

What an aster looks like is clear from the name. These are usually autumn late-flowering varieties with petals curved towards the center.The peony variety Gray Lady is distinguished by the characteristic white color of the upper part of the reed flowers. Yabluneva is valued for its delicate color, terry. Notable species: Alexandria, Tower, Royal peony, Mother's bouquet.

By color

In species diversity, all shades of the spectrum are found with the exception of black. Violet of varying saturation is often found, less often salmon and orange.

Important! Aster red has many shades from lilac to burgundy.

By terry

Terry annual aster is dense (forms a dense bud) and medium double - a loose inflorescence. Of the perennials, the summer terry variety of the Ballard series of blue (Maria) and pink (Sarah) shades is popular.

By flowering time

Usually they are selected according to the timing when asters bloom:

early or spring buds release in late May, bloom in early July;
summer - flowering from early July to September;
on late or autumn buds appear in September, persist until snow.

Growing from seeds

Asters are sown in greenhouses or open ground in early spring or before winter. To obtain early flowering, cultivation of seedlings at home is practiced, since March. Below is a small step-by-step landing instructions.

Planting capacity and soil

Alpine aster (Aster alpinus) - growing from seeds

Seedlings are grown in common boxes filled with a mixture of peat or humus with turf soil 1: 3.

Seed preparation and sowing

Before planting, the seed is treated with fungicides against root rot. The seeds are buried to a depth of 1 cm. The sprouts appear in 3–7 days.

Timing

The period of home sowing of asters for the middle lane is long: from the last days of February to the beginning of March. Autumn varieties are sown in greenhouses in April, covered with snow, covered with acrylic.

How to care for seedlings

Aster is not demanding to care, it is better to water it in the first weeks from a spray so that the water does not stagnate. The temperature should not be lower than + 18 ° С. Once a month do foliar feeding with urea (1 tsp urea per 1 liter of water).

Important! If the plants are stretching, they are supplemented with light, increasing the daylight hours to 12-14 hours.

Landing in open ground

Seedlings are ready for planting when 5-7 leaves appear. Depending on the region and weather conditions, the plants are transplanted from late May to mid-June.

By the way, young shoots are afraid of strong recurrent frosts. After planting, the shoots are covered with cut plastic bottles.

Planting in a seedless way

It is permissible to grow cold-resistant asters on the ground, planting and care as in the seedling method.

How asters breed

For the perennial plant Astra, vegetative and bush propagation is allowed.

Dividing the bush

It is allowed to divide the bushes from the age of two. On the layer there should be a bud with a root system (it is covered with soil mixture with a layer of 3 cm), 3 or 5 shoots.

Cuttings

It is used to preserve a rare variety. Cuttings up to 7 cm long are rooted in water, planted in the ground.

Possible growing problems

Subject to agricultural technology, plants rarely get sick.

Leaf problems

Fundariosis (wilting begins with the foliage reaches the drying out of the stem) manifests itself on acidic soil, it is treated by liming the soil.

Pests

Aphids are destroyed with insecticides, spider mites - with acaricides for greenhouse plants. Metaldehyde and ground red pepper are effective against slugs.

Diseases

Aster is prone to root rot, the soil is sprinkled with ash, Fitosporin. Brown rot, rust and leaf spot are less common, they are treated with Hom, Topaz fungicides.

Signs of improper care

The plants are light-loving, buds are poorly tied in the shade. With an excess of nitrogen, leaves grow actively, the buds are small. After budding, a phosphorus-potassium supplement is needed.

Important! Asters are common decorative and cut flowers that are often found in suburban areas. They are planted in flower beds, alpine hills.Low-growing bush species are grown as indoor flowers, used to decorate open areas of the dwelling.