Michaelmas Daisies - Rachael Austin’s pick of the best
Sometimes, undertaking professional development or CPD as it is also called can be a magical experience as a garden designer as happened when I visited the specialist Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden to explore their National Collection of over 430 varieties of Michaelmas Daisies.
The nursery, established in 1906, is settled on the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills and between August and October is the ideal time to see the floral display.
Visiting plant nurseries for me, is like being a child in a sweet shop, and I simply could not resist buying a few to see how they grow. I want ultimately, to extend seasonal colour in my garden designs and for my clients.
Asters or Michaelmas daisies as they are known as in the UK, are a wonderful diverse group of autumn flowering plants in the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Originally all members of the genus Aster they are now classified in several different genera. Asters tend to like moist soils and sun or part shade and flower late into the Autumn.
New York Asters – Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, Native to North America, this is a diverse group which readily hybridises with other species. With smooth foliage ranging in colour from mid-green to purple tinted the individual leaves are usually longer than wide with a pointed tip.
New England Asters - Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Native to North America and Canada this group forms stout clumps with strong woody stems that rarely need staking once established. With rough and pale green foliage the flowers are held largely at the tops of the plants making them ideal for mid to back of border positions.
Small Flowered Asters - Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Blue Wood Aster), Symphyotrichum ericoides (Heath Aster) and Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (Calico Aster) These tend to be self-supporting and great nearer the front of a border off-set perhaps by Autumn bulbs such as Hesperantha which like similar conditions. For all small flowering asters, propagation is easiest from Spring division every 3 to 5 years.
Species Asters - Eurybia and others- which sell out superfast, as they tend to be more shade tolerant.
European Asters - Aster amellus, Aster pyrenaeus and Aster x frikartii, which all have large single flowers and rough hairy foliage and it is best to divide these plants every 5 years. Propagation can be done through division or tip cuttings in the Spring.
Rachael has put together a collage of her favourites for you to enjoy:
Clockwise from left to right:
Symphyotrichum Eva - deep purple-pink flowers - October flowering
Eurybia divaricate - Shade tolerant with white stars and dark stems, flowering from August
Symphyotrichum Pink Cloud - Pale pink flowers and dark green leaves
Symphyotrichum Coombe Fishacre - flowering mid-September with pinkish-purple lateral flowers
Symphyotrichum Jessica Jones - tall with pinky purple flowers and mildew resistant
Symphyotrichum Oktober Licht - white single spires with dark green foliage in upright clumps
Symphyotrichum Prairie Purple - lilac-purple masses, long flowering period - bees adore this plant
Symphyotrichum turbinellum hybrid - fine foliage with lavender blue floating flowers
