From the Greekaster , headliner , name the flower shape(Compositae).Michaelmas daisy . Among the most utilitarian herbaceous perennials , most of the aster flower in previous summertime right into the fall and are highly stalwart and easygoing to grow . They increase so quickly , in fact , that many of them have to be lifted and divided about every second year . There are a great many cultivar suitable for the back of the herbaceous border , growing to about 6 foot in pinnacle , derived from A.novi - belgiiandA. novaeangliaebut there are also shorter , bushy cultivars , up to 3 foot in top that have been raised from A.amellusand A.frikhartii . These dwarfer varieties are also earlier efflorescence than the marvellous kind . The really dwarf cultivar , from 9 - 15 column inch tall , are excellent plants for the front of a delimitation , as they are summary and very free blossoming .
There are aster , too , for the rock garden , such asA. subcaeruleus , which flower in June ; the brilliant violet - blue flower are produced on 9 in stems and tolerate up above the leaf which makes low clumps as it spreads .
The two group , A.novi - belgiiand A.novae - anglaieare very similar , but the foliage in thenovi - belgiigroup is legato , whereas that ofnovae - angliaeis downy .
A great deal of hybridisation has been carried out with Michaelmas daisy , the largest variations are to be figure in thenovi - belgiigroup where the colours range from blank , pinko , mauve , to deep rose - pinko and purpleness . There are dual and single bloom , and some of the smorgasbord are short and bushy , more like theamellusgroup . In thenova - angliaegroup the color are circumscribe to deep pink and purples and the flowers have an unfortunate habit of close at sunset .
Species cultivatedA. acris,3 feet , masses of lavender - dingy flowers in midsummer . A.alpinus,6 inches , purplish flowers in midsummer ; ‘ beech ’ is a all right cultivar . A.amellus,2 foundation , purple flowers in June 21 . A.cordifolius,2 feet , mauve flush on arc stem in summer . A.ericoides,2 - 3 feet , abundant whitened flowers in autumn , angulate branching substance abuse : ‘ Perfection ’ , 4 feet , white and ‘ annulus - dove , 4 foot , rose-cheeked mauve , are two cultivars . A.farreri,1i invertebrate foot , efflorescence long rayed , violet - blue in summer . A. x frikartii,3 feet , blossom lavender - naughty , in midsummer ; ‘ Wonder of Staff , lavender - blue , is a popular cultivar . A.linosyris , goldilocks , 1i feet , a native with showy prosperous - yellow efflorescence in later summer . A.novae - angliae,5 - 6 feet , autumn - flower , purple flowers . A.novi - belgii,4 ft , profane blossom in autumn . A.pappei,1 foot , smart blue flowers throughout summer and former fall . Not dependably audacious except in milder post . A. subcaeruleus,9 inches , violet - blue prime on 9 inch stems above the foliation ; ‘ Wendy , 1 foot , sick dispirited with orange centre , a fine cultivar . A.thomsonii,15 inches , pallid blue sky , a parent , with A.amellus , of the hybrid A. xfrikartii . A. tradescantii,4 feet , clean flowers in fall . A.yunnanensis,1 foot , lilac - blue flowers in summertime ; ‘ Napsbury ’ has larger flowers of bloodstone - blue .
CultivarsNamed sort of the major groups are legion and fresh ones seem to appear each year and it is deserving visit ing a greenhouse or consulting an up - to - date catalog before regulate plants . Among the full are the following :
Amellus‘Blue King ’ , 2 understructure , brilliant blue . King George ’ , 2i foot , bright gloomy ; an quondam favorite . ‘ Sonia , 2 base , clear pink . Novae – angliaeBarr ’s Pink ’ , 4 feet , ‘ Harrington ’s Pink ’ , 41 base , clearly pink , both sure-enough varieties . ‘ Lye End Beauty ’ , 4 feet , pale plum and ‘ September Glow ’ , 5 ft , ruby , are both newer smorgasbord .
Novi – belgii‘Apple Blossom ’ , 3 foot , cream , overlaid pink . ‘ Blue Radiance ’ , 3 feet , gravid flowers , gentle Amytal . ‘ Crimson Brocade ’ , 3 feet , undimmed scarlet , double . ‘ Little Pink Boy ’ , 2 base , deep pink . ‘ Marie Ballard ’ , 3 feet , mid - blue , large fully double . ‘ My Smokey ’ , 6 foot , recondite mulberry , vigorous . ‘ Orlando ’ , 3 feet , clearly pinkish , sinngle . ‘ Peerless ’ , 4 foot , soft heliotrope , semi - double . ‘ Sailing Light ’ , 3 groundwork , recondite lift . ‘ Sweet Seventeen ’ , 4 metrical foot , lavender - pink , fully two-fold . ‘ The Cardinal ’ , 5 feet , rosiness - ruby-red . ‘ The Rector ’ , 3 foot , claret . ‘ White Lady ’ , 5 - 6 feet , unadulterated bloodless . ‘ Winston Churchill ’ , 2 feet , crimson - ruby .
Dwarf‘Audrey ’ , 15 inches , orotund , pale blue . ‘ Lilac Time ’ , 1 foot , piano lilac . ‘ Pink Lace ’ , 15 column inch , twice pink . ‘ Professor A. Kippenburg ’ , 15 inch , lite blue , semi - double . ‘ Snow Cushion ’ , 10 inches , snowy . ‘ Victor ’ , 9 inch , light Amytal .
CultivationTheir cultivation is simple : plant in the autumn or natural spring except theamellusgroup which dislike autumn planting and so must be planted and divided in the give . They like a sunny position but will tolerate a little shadiness , and though they will rejoin secure cultivation they are not cross about dirt . They are readily increased by part . attack by powdery mildew often whiten the folio and make them unsightly .
