12 Asters tested for wild gardens
Year five of asters in high competition plant community design
Asters are incredible late-season flowers that are back in fashion thanks to an influx of new cultivars with contemporary style and more colours. Plus of course, the recognition that little else flowers as late in the season as these largely North American daisies.
Rather than give you an encyclopaedia of every aster out there - there are loads of books and nursery sites for that - what I feel I can best give you is advice on the asters I grow that have wild style and are happy growing among high competition plant communities. I haven’t weeded around any of these asters and they’ve all outgrown the likes of creeping buttercup, ground elder and even nettles.
So, if you are looking for airy, chic and easy to grow flowers, my ongoing aster trials are for you. Now in year five from our exposed hill in West Yorkshire. Here are my favourites...