Aster

Propagating Aster should be done every 3-4 years because it keeps them vigorous bloomers and division is done by popping the parent plant out of the ground and dividing the rhizimous clumps in the spring because asters attract butterflies, but it should be fertilized once a month to produce bountiful blooms. They prefer full sun with well drained amended soil and will withstand some drought however blooms will be curtailed if left dry for too long. Unlike a vast majority of perennials and there are over 600 species including annual and perennial, asters bloom from mid summer to late fall or to a hard freeze with color variations ranging lavender, purple, red, pink, white, but the annual asters offer a wider range of colors which include doubles, and normally grow from 12" to 36" in height and should be cut back in July to prevent the flower spikes from laying over in the wind when blooming.

Amsonia ciliata var. filifolia 'Georgia Pancake'-Creeping Blue Star

A unusual perennial, Creeping Blue Star, can be propagated by cuttings, if you want to live dangerously, in early summer, and this method is the best or if you can find seeds. Propagating by division is not practical because the woody rootstocks are nearly impossible to cut, but if you want to try, late fall is when you divide, but if you are lucky and have good soil Blue Star is inclined to self seed. Prune in late winter or early spring and it is a good groundcover to edge your garden beds or rock gardens and butterflies are attracted to the bluish blooms on 12" stems in May. It grows up to 5"but will spread up to 2' in full sun to partial shade and prefers a moist loamy soil.

Calibrachoa(kal-ih-bruh-KO-uh)-“Mission Bells”hybrid

Calibrachoa is closely related to the petunia and can only be propagated from seeds or cuttings, since they are only hardy in Zone 10 and are patent protected. It blooms from late spring until autumn and the colors available in the hybrid “Mission Bells” range from white, purple/blue, soft lavender/pink, hot pink, cherry pink, apricot, and yellow. When taking cuttings the growing medium should be kept moist, but not in peat pots, and should be drenched in a fungicide after transplanting. Their blooms are smaller but double the quantity of petunias and are great in hanging baskets or planters and need to be feed with a high nitrogen fertilizer every two weeks throughout the growing season. A plant worthwhile growing from seed annually or by ordering cuttings to spruce up a patio or deck, but do not overwater, since they are prone to root rot. They grow up to 7" and the sun loving blooms in well draining soil are self cleaning unlike petunias which means the plants discards the old blooms so new ones can take their place. I saw this plant in a magazine article and had to learn more about it. Gorgeous!

Asclepias tuberosa-Butterfly Weed

Butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed is not easily propagated by division because the plant has a very strong tap root, stores food and water, that goes deep into the ground and any division may do poorly however they can be self seeding so you maybe able to locate seedlings in the spring and transplant before the tubers take hold, but it will take 2 years before the seedlings bloom. It is one plant that Monarch butterflies rely on, the nectar of the flowers, throughout the blooming season and the plants reach a height of 2 feet. Butterfly weed prefers dry soil conditions, gravel or sand, in sunny locations, too wet and the plants will die. It requires a cold winter to bloom from Texas to New England. It blooms June through September and the flower colors are red, orange and yellow.

Begonia grandis-Hardy Begonia

Propagation of hardy begonia is done by two different methods, one is by sowing the bulbils which is a small bulb like fruit in a leaf axil, the plant will reseed by itself when they fall, or by digging up the plant and dividing the roots in the spring. This begonia is a cousin to the annual begonia that many people plant year after year, but it is only hardy in Zone 6-9 and flowers from August until frost with pink blooms on burgundy/green leaves, but there is also a white flowering species. Pinching keeps the plant from becoming leggy and deadheading prolongs the blooms but it only needs less then two house of filtered sunlight and is prone to stem rot if overwatered. It would compliment the hole that bleeding hearts leave when they die back early. It reaches a height of 2 feet and likes a well drained composted soil with a neutral pH. In China they call it “autumn crabapple.”

Astible-False Spirea

Astible can be propagated in the spring by digging up the whole plant and dividing the clumps which should be done at least every 4 years because the older plants become woody and have a hard time absorbing water and will eventually die. Astible roots are shallow rooted so in northern climates its best to check to see if frost heave has exposed their roots and if so re-bury them. There are various varieties of Astible, the basic colors are white, pink, red, and purple there is also a purple leaved variety. Astible depending on the variety will bloom from June through to September and they will need a basic fertilizer application in the spring when their leaves start sprouting. This is the one plant that thrives in a part shade, plant in dense shade and it will lack blooms and plant away from competing tree roots, moist soil heavily composted with peat and manure and butterflies are attracted to it but deer ignore it. Dead blooms are used in dry flower arrangements. Depending on the variety Astible will grow from the basic 12 inches to 4 feet and it will mix well with Hosta which might keep the deer away.

Dicentra spectabilis-bleeding heart, Venus’s car, lyre flower

Bleeding heart can be best propagated by division in the spring because it is a perennial that when it stops flowering in April/May the leaves/plant go dormant, dies back, so unless you flag the plant you may not be able to locate it in the fall to divide. Bleeding hearts grow up to 3 feet and prefer partial shade. When you divide bleeding heart make certain you wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt because the plant is toxic, no deer, which can cause irritation to your skin. The most common color is rose pink but there is a white variety and a fuchsia introduced in the U.K. 10 years ago. For bleeding heart to be successful, it needs a moist well drained soil of humus compost of neutral ph and does not tolerate wet soil in winter nor dry soil in summer but be aware it is susceptible to aphid infestations.