Italian or European Aster

Family Compositae. Grows in Central France, in Italy, in countries of Southeastern Europe, in the Caucasus, in Transcarpathia, in Asia Minor and in Western Siberia.

Italian aster, depending on the cultivar, 30 to 60 cm tall. The bush is semi-spherical in form with well-branched pubescent stems, leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, arranged alternately. Inflorescences large, up to 4-5 cm in diameter, in loose corymbs. Each inflorescence bears 10-15 flower-heads (capitula), so the plant is densely covered with them. Ray florets lilac-blue, tubular florets yellow. Blooms from mid-July to September (on average 60-65 days). There are many cultivars with lilac, lavender, pink, light- and dark-blue inflorescences. They prefer warm, rather dry, calcareous, well-drained, gravelly soils, in full sun. Care is standard: weeding, watering, hoeing, fertilizing with a complete fertilizer 2-3 times during the summer. Good for cutting. Used for sunny mixed borders, for group plantings on sunny edges and in so-called "steppe" gardens.

Has the variety A.a.var. bessarabicus = amelloides. This variety is taller than the species and is often used in hybridization; it has larger heads and the color of the ray florets is more purplish. Its hybrids: Cassubicus Major tall dark-violet and Rubellus reddish-purple. The typical grayish pubescence of this species may be lost when grown on more or less fertile soils. Unlike the species forms, which are long-lived and hardy, cultivars are less resistant to diseases and under certain conditions (poor soil aeration, waterlogging, overly fertile soils, frequent planting) are affected by fungal diseases, especially Verticillum albo-atrium, and also require more frequent division. Zone 5.

The best cultivars of this group are the following:

'Гном' ('Gnom') - ray florets purple, good for cut flowers and as edging material;
'Герман Лёне' ('Herman Lens') - a profusely flowering cultivar, ray florets light-violet;
'Генрих Зейберт' ('Henrich Seibert') - ray florets light-pink;
'Розея' ('Rosea') - heads up to 4 cm in diameter, ray florets pink, tubular florets light-brown, blooms 40-45 days. Suitable for cutting and for various arrangements;
'Кобола' ('Kobold') - heads up to 4 cm in diameter, ray florets dark-lilac, flowers in the mid-region in July for 50-55 days;
'Церулея' ('Coerulea') - heads up to 4 cm in diameter, ray florets blue or lilac, tubular florets yellow;
'Кинг Георг' ('King George') - inflorescences purple-blue, a very popular cultivar;
'Леди Хайндлип' ('Lady Hindlip') - inflorescences with pink marginal florets.