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.