Re: woodland asters
- To:
- Subject: Re: woodland asters
- From: L* L*
- Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 17:48:47 -0500
Devon and All,
I planted aster divaricatus, white wood aster, last spring and they did
very well. I am also in zone 7, in North Carolina. The blooms lasted a
very long time. I ordered mine from Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, NC. They
also have a website...<www.nichegdn.com.
Lynn
-----Original Message-----
From: Miller, Devon <dmiller@kilstock.com>
To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>; Russ Bragg
<shadeplant@ici.net>
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 2:48 PM
Subject: Re: woodland asters
>I haven't followed all the e-mails on the woodland asters -- do they do
well
>as far south as I am? Has anyone had any experience? I need shade-loving
>flowering plants. I realize your e-mail says they go down to zone 8, but
>you also mention that they are northeastern plants -- do they wilt in hot
>humid summers like those in Washington DC?
>
>Devon Miller
>Chevy Chase, MD
>zone 7 (or 6, depending on just where you stand)
>
>
> ----------
>From: Russ Bragg
>To: perennials@mallorn.com
>Subject: Re: woodland asters
>Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 2:15PM
>
>I lost track of who was looking for information on woodland asters. I
wrote
>this last fall for the HortResources Newsletter. All but Aster schreberi
>will be available from my spring catalog. Shameless promotion follows the
>text.
>
>Russ
>
>Asters for the Shade
>
>
>The calendar says it's time to think about winding down the garden - about
>pumpkins and scarlet maple leaves and frost. It's also time to think about
>some of the wonderful perennials that put an extension on to summer. And
>after a growing season which included record rains in June followed by
>July's drought, the last thing you want in late summer is a demanding
plant.
>
>Happily, there are several native woodland Asters which will get the job
>done with little supervision from management. These aren't the hybrid
>garden-center Asters which appear each year in 45 new shades of
purple-pink.
>Rather, they are species found filling northeastern woodlands with great
>sweeps of blooms from August to October. Their easy nature and long bloom
>period provide a pleasing respite from the bustle of activities which
>surround the rest of the garden at this time of year.
>
>1. Aster acuminatus - Whorled Aster 12-30" tall, 1/2" flowers, with
>white rays and yellow disk. Sometimes I'm smart (or lazy) enough to allow
>"weeds" to reach the size where I can identify them. Whorled Aster
>volunteered in in a fairly shady area of our nursery, which was all the
>reason I needed to let it grow. The gray-green toothed leaves are broadest
>away from the base, tapering sharply to the tip. Though the leaves
actually
>alternate along the stem, they are grouped so closely as to create
>pseudowhorls. The corymbs of flowers are held above the foliage, blooming
>from August into September. Grow in average soil in part to full shade.
>Zone 4-8.
>
>2. Aster cordifolius - Heart-leaved Aster 24-36" tall, 1/2" flowers,
>pale blue rays with yellow disk. If you don't have "Victory Garden" soil,
>this is one of the best asters. It thrives in well drained garden loam to
>dry gravelly crud, taking drought in stride. Medium green toothed,
>heart-shaped leaves are largely pest free, giving it a nice foliage effect
>through early summer. The bushy, upright form is crowned by a multitude of
>blossoms starting in mid August. Part to full shade. Zone 4-9.
>
>3. Aster divaricatus - White Wood Aster 12-24" tall, 1/2" flowers,
white
>rays with yellow disk. Probably the toughest of the woodland Asters, it
>will carpet dry woods, laughing at drought and poor soil. They are best
>used at the back of the garden or in open woods, since the dark green,
>deeply toothed heart-shaped leaves are prone to holes from insect damage
>during early summer. But this shortcoming is more than rewarded by the
long
>lasting drift of white that occurs from last August through September,
>accented by the dark foliage and purple-black stems. Grow in part to full
>shade. Zone 4-8.
>
>4. Aster linariifolius - Bristly Aster 6-24" tall, 1½" flowers,
violet
>rays with yellow disk. Not really a woodland Aster, but rather one for the
>woodland edge, where it will receive a few hours of direct sun. A low
>grower with stiff, upright stems and whorls of 2" needle-like leaves. It
>will grow in terrible soil, often found colonizing the gravel fill along
>sunny roadsides. Pinching it back in late spring will stimulate a bushier
>habit and more numerous blooms, a particular help when it is grown in a
>shadier location. Grow it toward the front of the garden, where its
>gorgeous violet blooms won't be lost among taller plants. Blooms in
>September. Zone 3-8.
>
>5. Aster macrophyllus - Big-leaved Aster 12-40" tall, 1" flowers,
white
>to pale lilac with yellow disk. One of my favorites for the woods, and not
>for the flowers! Large, hand sized pale green basal leaves form a
beautiful
>ground cover where the Big-leaved Aster is allowed to colonize. Though the
>basal leaves appear every year, the plant doesn't always send up flowering
>stems. When stems do appear, they are topped by a few lovely pale lilac
>flowers. I like to think of them a merely a bonus added to the great
ground
>cover foliage. It will grow in stony New England soil, but prefers some
>leaf mold to hold moisture during prolonged droughts. Blooms (when its in
>the mood) in late August into September. Zone 4-8.
>
>6. Aster novi-belgii - New York Aster 36-54" tall, 1½" flowers, violet
>with yellow disk. A popular garden Aster, and a parent of numerous hybrid
>varieties. New York Aster does best in full sun, but will perform well in
>part shade. I have living proof: our current stock is descended from a
>seedling which volunteered in a fairly shady bed and blessed us with plenty
>of flowers and seed. Long elliptical to lance shaped leaves grace the
>upright stem beneath a cluster of rich violet flowers. Grow in well
drained
>soil in as much shade as you dare. Blooms from September to October. Zone
>3-8.
>
>
>7. Aster schreberi 12-36" tall, 3/4 to 1" flowers, white with yellow
>disk. We have had the plant for only one year and this lack of cultural
>experience tempers my enthusiasm somewhat, but I love this plant!
According
>to Gleason and Cronquist, it is apparently a naturally occuring hybrid of
A.
>divaricatus and A. macrophyllus, and to my view, it captures the best
>features of each. From A. macrophyllus, it takes large, pale grren foliage
>which is largely pest free. From A. divaricatus, it gets a burgundy
colored
>stem numerous white flowers. So far, it appears to do well in the shade of
>dry woods growing leaf litter. In a year or two, this could be my favorite
>Aster. Blooms from August until October. Zone 4-8.
>
>8. Aster spectabilis - Showy Aster 12-30" tall, 1½ -2" flowers, violet
>with yellow disk. A beautiful flowering plant for the woodland edge, where
>it will receive part shade with some sun. The lance shaped, smooth edged
>leaves are a pleasing grass-green; in a colony, the basal leaves form a
nice
>open ground cover early in the season. This Aster is well named, with
large
>showy flowers whose rich violet hue is almost irridescent. It thrives in
>dry or well drained soil and competes well with roots at the base of trees.
>Zone 5-9.
>
>Culural tips: Asters can be floppy if left on their own. It is a good
>idea to pinch them back in June (or in the case of a large group, attack
>them with shears) to stimulate branching growth. The result is a lower,
>bushier form with many more flowers. All but the Heart-leaved and Bristly
>Asters are strong spreaders by creeping rhizomes. They form wonderful
>ground covers in open woods, but may overpower the smaller garden. All
>asters will self seed freely if allowed; dead-head to contain or let them
>fill the woods.
>
>Underwood Shade Nursery
>PO Box 1386
>North Attleboro, MA 02763
>508-222-2164
>fax 508-222-5152
>USDA zone 6a
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>From: James N. Tilton <tilton44@erols.com>
>To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>
>Date: Saturday, January 16, 1999 14:51
>Subject: woodland asters
>
>
>>Anne Long wrote:
>>>, and patches of fall-blooming woodland asters, which do great
>>> in dry shade...
>>
>>Anne-
>>loved your combinations for tulips! Do you have favorites or
>>recommendations for the asters you mentioned? Good sources?
>>TIA
>>Barb
>>(Southeastern PA, where *whooppee!* the ice is melting!)
>>
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