Buying aster seeds is not a problem today. Such an abundance of offered varieties could not have been imagined 10-15 years ago. But I want to see abundantly blooming and the most unique asters in flower beds. How to make a choice?
Every amateur florist, buying seeds, prefers those varieties that are to his heart. But there are some nuances that must be borne in mind before becoming the owner of the coveted bag of seeds.
- Choose the type of aster by the type of inflorescence. They are peony, pink, needle, ostrich feather, unique, princess, pompom, laplat, riviera, lady coral and many new others.
- Decide on the choice of the height of future plants. Asters in height can be curb (undersized from 15 to 25 cm), medium-sized and up to 100 cm high. For this, you need to think in advance where in the garden they will grow.
- The size of flowering inflorescences is of no small importance. After all, we grow asters in order to admire the flowers. Baskets in different varieties can be from 3 to 16 cm or more (in new varieties). As a rule, the larger the size of the flowers, the fewer there will be on the plant and vice versa. The most abundantly blooming are dwarf asters, which have a long flowering and medium-sized inflorescences. But there are also dwarf asters, for example, "Milady", with inflorescences like the peony group.
- Asters differ in the structure of the plant bush. They come in a compact, sprawling, highly branched, unbranched species. When choosing asters, you should think that spreading or highly branched plants will require more attention from you to planting, care, and the obligatory garter so that after rainy weather they do not break down and lie on the ground, losing their attractiveness.
- It will also be important to determine the timing of flowering plants. All aster varieties are divided into 5 groups: very early (bloom on average 95 days after germination), early (96-105 days), medium (105-115 days), late (bloom after 125 days) and very late. The early maturity of aster flowering must be taken into account. So in the Central Black Earth regions of Russia, when growing asters through seedlings of early varieties, you can admire the flowering around the beginning of July. When sowing seeds of early varieties of asters in the ground, they will bloom at the end of August.
- The resistance of the purchased aster varieties to bad weather and diseases is also an important criterion when buying seeds. Asters are strongly affected by Fusarium. Russian varieties have an enviable advantage over "foreigners". This is especially true for the varieties of the Voronezh selection.
- Using flowering plants for landscaping or for cutting. Many companies give this information on seed bags. For a good cut, it is necessary to purchase varieties with long and strong peduncles.
When buying seeds for annual aster, carefully study the information on the bags, especially the expiration date. Aster seeds cannot be stored for a long time and quickly lose their germination.
