I bought 3 aster plug plants in spring and each is looking great. I’ve been occasionally pruning them to encourage bushier growth. Will I get flowers this year or is it all about establishing the plants? Judging by the example above, should I trim that one down again? Presumably in a couple of months the whole thing should be pruned back hard for winter?
My seed grown Asters are about to flower - no pruning - just popped the seeds into a cell tray and planted out the plugs. It looks like you may have been a little enthusiastic with the pruning - promoting leaf growth and not buds. They do say you learn something new everyday - I thought that Asters were annuals - I'll leave them in the bed and look forward to another display next year.
The way the sun travels around our narrow garden, my asters were getting a bit leggy and unstable trying to stretch out for sunlight. Hopefully there is still time to flower if I leave them along now.
I'm not sure what kind of Aster that is, but most are late flowering. The tender bedding ones usually flower in August. But yours looks more like some kind of perennial, dont cut back any shoots, you will be cutting off the flowering growth. And its a bit early to be thinking about cutting hard back for winter, its only mid summer.
Kriss, leave them now. They are likely to flower in September, depending on variety. Do you have a label? When you talk of pruning. It is more about pinching back leading shoots in early spring to promote density. "Pruning" now will prevent flowering this year Next year, if yours is a perennial, your plant will be much, much bigger and need no pinching back
Those don't looklike perennial Aster ( Mihaelmas Daisy ) leaves to me. They're usually long, leathery leaves.
It always helps if you remember what variety you have planted @kriss - it takes all the guess work out of the equation
Kriss till the other members reply found this mate a slight bit of info on them ASTER FRIKARTII One particular frikartii variety, Monch, is probably the best known of these asters. Our advice would be to choose this variety. Aster frikartii Monch Height is about 75cm / 30in and a spread of 45cm / 18in, this variety sometimes, but not always, does need stakingIt makes an excellent cut flower which will last a week or moreThe flowering period is exceptionally long from July to early OctoberThey are suited to most soil types as long as drainage is good.Fully hardy in the UK
Kriss, for me the best of the asters. Lovely plants As I said before, leave them now and they will start to flower soon. Frikartii Monch and similar hybrids flower earlier than other asters and for much longer. Then they will flower for weeks. They are trouble free, disease free and even the slugs ignore them. I already have some in flower here but all will be in full flower in a couple of weeks.
Thanks. The three I have are in pots. Is it ok to keep them there for now and over winter? Or should I pick a place for them before winter and get them in the ground?
Kriss, are they in pots big enough? You could pot on to help grow them. They are hardy plants and I would plant out in spring. Group them together to make a show for later this summer.....you could plunge the pots in the ground too
