Astra chamomile: description, varieties, planting, care and reproduction

The ancient philosophers believed that growing flowers would definitely bring happiness to a person. Aster symbolizes prosperity, and designers and gardeners love it for its unpretentiousness and beautiful flowering.

Chamomile aster belongs to the species of perennial herbaceous plants, the Astrov family. This plant has several more names: steppe, wild, European.

The habitat of the aster is quite wide: Mediterranean, Baltic, Siberia, Caucasus, Europe. In the Russian flora, the flower grows in the European part of the country, as well as in the southwest of Western Siberia. These beautiful flowers can be found in meadows, ravines, river valleys and at the edges of mixed forests.

Plant characteristics:

• height - from 20 to 70 cm;
• the root system is represented by a short rhizome;
• stem erect, densely pubescent, with a reddish tinge;
• leaves are sessile, dull, whole-edged, with well-defined veins;
• basket size - 3-5 cm, inflorescence - corymbose panicle;
• flowering period - from June to September.

Asters have become one of the most popular flowers due to their long flowering period and variety of varieties, among which there are plants with pink, lavender, dark blue and lilac petals.

Asters are used in:

• creating flower groups on the lawn;
• meadow plantings for the garden;
• simple flower beds that do not require complex care;
• flower beds for planting buildings and objects in cities, as well as in suburban areas as landscape components with imitation of wild thickets.

Among all varieties of asters are especially popular. Rudolf Goethe, King Georg and Weilchenkenigen.

These asters are unpretentious and cold-resistant plants, ideal for growing in areas of risky farming. The stem grows up to 50 cm tall.

Branched stems with dense pubescence and sessile linear-lanceolate leaves. The variety is distinguished by rather large inflorescences - almost 5 cm in diameter.

Each inflorescence contains 10-15 baskets. The flowers are lavender-blue in the reed petals, and yellow in the tubular ones. The flowering period is from August to the onset of frost. On average, it is 60-65 days. Sowing seeds is carried out immediately in open ground in spring, when the soil warms up to 8-10 degrees.

This aster is also called Italian. In the Mordovian Republic, the plant is listed in the Red Book, since it is dying out due to human activity and the deterioration of the ecological situation. But the main reason is the uncontrolled collection of asters for bouquets in forests and glades.

The Italian aster has bright purple flowers with a yellow center. The inflorescence is a simple basket. The height of the plant is about 50-60 cm. The bushes are compact, spherical in shape. Flowering begins in August and lasts until mid-October.

The plant is light-loving, prefers dry, well-drained soils and moderate watering.

This variety is one of the favorite among landscape designers. The main feature of King George is its tall stems and a large, bright yellow center. Besides, in comparison with "Rudolf Goethe" and "Weilchenkenigen" this variety blooms earlier - in July... Therefore, it is widely used to decorate flower beds, borders in cities. Its flowering continues until the first frost. The petals of the plant have a deep violet-blue color.

In the wild, asters live mainly in the forest-steppe zone, so they always get a lot of sunlight. With self-cultivation, you will have to take into account several nuances.

• Light. The site should be open with good access to sunlight for most of the day. Therefore, it is worth choosing open places, away from dense trees and bushes. These plants feel good in high flower beds.
• The soil. Asters prefer light, well-drained calcareous soils. The area where the aster is grown should be well ventilated and have a loose structure. A good solution is to add some gravel or vermiculite to the soil. This measure will increase the drainage performance of the soil.
• Humidity. Due to the presence of rhizomes, asters do not need frequent and abundant watering. Therefore, it is better to choose high areas where water will not stagnate.

Asters can be planted and propagated in several ways: by seeds, dividing a bush or cuttings. Let's see how to do it correctly.

• Seeds. The collected seeds are sown into the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. Next spring, young plants will sprout in this place. In this case, flowering of plants occurs in the third year.

• By dividing the bush. This is a faster and easier way. Overgrown bushes are dug up, divided into several smaller ones and planted back. The whole procedure is carried out in the fall. One bush is divided into 2-3 parts, it is necessary that on one separated bush there are 4 shoots and powerful roots.

• By cuttings. Gardeners recommend propagation by cuttings in early spring. They take a well-developed plant and cut off cuttings 6 cm long from it. Root them in a greenhouse or in an ordinary garden bed. New plants from cuttings are grown for 3-4 weeks, and then dug up and transplanted to a permanent place.

Chamomile asters are unpretentious in content. They need periodic loosening, weeding and watering.

• Transfer. It is a perennial plant, so you don't need to plant it every year. The plot is changed only once every 5 years. In the sixth year, asters are dug up and transplanted to a new site. If you want to achieve abundant flowering, then regularly tear off the faded inflorescences, without waiting for the seeds to ripen.
• Watering mode. In dry and hot weather, plants need abundant watering. It is best to water the plants at the root, soaking the soil deeply, but not too often.
• Top dressing. Top dressing is carried out in early spring using complex fertilizer for asters. But in order to achieve abundant flowering throughout the season, it is necessary to add 2 more after the first top dressing. In this case, the first time they are fed with nitrogen dressing, for the formation of lush foliage and the development of a powerful root system. The second feeding is done at the very beginning of the budding phase. This measure will enable the plants to form a large number of strong and large buds. At the beginning of flowering, a third top dressing is done using phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. It will prolong the flowering of plants.
• Pruning. During the season, the stems are cut to create bouquets. Also, with the help of pruning, you can form more neat bushes and give them strict contours. After the end of the flowering period, all stems are cut to the root for the winter. The flower bed is mulched with leaves or sawdust. When snow falls, it is poured onto the flower beds in a thick layer so that the buds overwinter well and do not freeze.

How to use chamomile aster to fight colds, see the video.