Astra shrub: the most popular varieties, their cultivation and care

The garden area, even very small, almost never happens without flowers. And of course, a special place among them is occupied by the shrub aster. About this unpretentious, but very beautiful plant, we will tell in our article.

Astra shrub: description

This is a perennial plant. Its height varies from 30 to 90 cm (depending on the variety), the stems are branched, so the shape of the bush resembles a ball. Leaves oblong, oval in shape, edentate along margin, arranged densely on pubescent branches. They are roughened from above, smooth from below. The leaves are rather dense, dark green in color.

Buds are formed on the tops of branches. Flowers from three to seven centimeters in diameter. Can be painted in various colors - white, blue, purple, violet, burgundy, etc.

Astra shrub prefers dry and sandy soils. Flowering begins in the second half of August or early in September and lasts up to seven weeks. Therefore, these flowers in the garden will long please you with a picturesque view. They can bloom to the very cold.

Astra shrubbery: planting and care

To plant this plant, you should choose a well-heated sunlit bright spot. The soil must be well drained and loose. These conditions must be respected, if you want to grow a lush, healthy and abundantly flowering shrub. In the penumbra or in the shade the plant slowly develops, and if the soil is swampy, the plant becomes ill, the flowering becomes poor, and eventually the bush may die.

To keep these flowers in the garden holding the shape of a ball and the bush does not fall apart, the astra should be planted in a place sheltered from drafts and strong winds.

Top dressing

The soil before planting the plant should be enriched with organic fertilizers. The next procedure is carried out the next year. To do this, use complex water-soluble fertilizers. When the first buds appear on the bush, phosphorus-containing fertilizing can be used.

Pruning and Garter

To have a bush aster has a rounded shape, it is necessary to cut off excess branches. This is necessary not only to make the bush well-groomed and neat, this process stimulates a more active growth of the branches, which will give the plant a splendor and density, and also increases the number of inflorescences by the autumn.

Shrubs that grow to 80 cm, it is necessary to strengthen, tie them to the support. To do this, drive the peg neatly next to the base of the bush and tie the plant to it. Thick branches securely hide such a support, and it will not be seen at all. During flowering, to preserve the magnificent decorative appearance of the plant, remove the dried inflorescences.

Reproduction

Aster of shrub propagates by vegetative method or seeds. The latter option is used quite rarely, since the germination of seeds is lost pretty quickly. They must be sown immediately after collection, before the beginning of winter in the open ground or in early spring to a depth of about two centimeters.

Vegetative reproduction is much more often used. Sharing the bush is necessary in early spring. At the same time, we also need to remove weak stems. Many gardeners breed an astra without digging a bush. To do this, separate from the bush one or two parts, which can then be divided into even smaller shoots. One part of the bush must contain at least five new shoots.

Wintering

Shrubby asters easily tolerate frosty winters. After the flowering, cut the bush under the root and cover it with dry leaves or compost. This method is especially important for young plants, in which the root system has not yet fully formed.

Popular varieties of asters: Jenny

Compact and very cute plants. Look great in the design of the garden in summer and in autumn. Form almost spherical dense bushes. In summer they are covered with lanceolate sessile, dense leaves, and in the autumn the plant is literally strewn with bright inflorescences-baskets. They are small - not more than three centimeters in diameter.

Astra Jenny has erect, strongly branched and pubescent stems. Their height is little more than forty centimeters. Blossoms from the end of August to the first snow is very abundant, the flowers are painted in pink or crimson. He does not like too hot and dry areas.

Perennial asters, which include this variety, are frost-resistant plants that hibernate well without shelter. During flowering, freeze up to -7 degrees. Quite comfortable feel on different soils, but it develops better and blooms on a fertile soil with nutrient content.

This species of shrub asters is used in arrays, group plantings, ribbons and solitary on the lawn. Great for curbs and rock gardens. Pay attention to the fact that in the late autumn the flower garden received a sufficient amount of light.

Shrub Aster Matsumoto

This species belongs to the popular group of bush - cutting asters. The bush grows to 70 cm. It is quite compact, cylindrical in shape, with dense stems. Inflorescence roundish. Their diameter is 8.5 cm. They have a yellow core. Tiger flowers can have different colors. Inflorescences crown high, graceful stems and at the slightest blow of wind create the impression of a waterfall.

The advantages of this plant, undoubtedly, include high resistance to unfavorable weather conditions and diseases, as well as abundant and long flowering.

Aurora

The bush is strong, colonial, up to 65 cm high. It has very strong peduncles up to 40 cm long, densely covered with foliage. Inflorescences flat and slightly rounded, up to 10 cm in diameter. Tongue flowers quite wide, arranged in one row along the very edge of the inflorescence. On the bush with proper care develops up to 30 inflorescences. Flowering lasts two months. It is suitable for cutting. The variety is often found in the collections of amateur gardeners.

Astra Christina

Another very popular species of bush aster. It attracts late bloom and compact bushes. Astra shrub Christina does not grow to more than 50 cm. The plant grows very quickly underground shoots. The leaves are dark green, somewhat narrowed. Flowers are snow-white with a bright yellow core. Flowering continues from early September to late October. Needs rejuvenation (digging and division) every three years. Effectively looks on the Alpine hills.

Astra Needle

The bush is strong, slightly branched, column-shaped. Height to 60 cm, diameter - 35 cm. Inflorescences hemispherical or planar, double. Diameter about ten centimeters. Ligula flowers, fused along the length into a tube, are arranged in 7 rows along the very edge of the inflorescence, the middle ones are bent toward the middle, the marginal ones are horizontal. Tubular flowers are small, yellow in color. Typically, the bush has about twelve inflorescences. The duration of flowering is 50 days.

Starlight

Perennial plant with upright pubescent stems. Astra shrub Starlite very branched, forming the shape of an oval or a sphere. The bush grows to a height of 50 cm. It perfectly tolerates drought and frost. Richly blooms with light purple flowers from August to frost. Prefers fertilized light soils. Plant planted at a distance of forty centimeters, so that the underground shoots of young plants were covered with soil layer of 3 cm.