Perennial-Aster

[Mamu]

Aster-For some reason I have never planted Asters. I just finished a new perennial garden and one of the first flowers I planted was Asters. I planted a violet-blue variety.

Asters come in shades of blues, violet, pinks, white and reds. Some flower all summer others wait till the fall. There are different varieties and they range in heights of 8 to 60 inches. Asters like ordinary, somewhat rich and moist in the summer soil and sun.

Aster

 

[amid chaos]

I love the fall asters....great color that time of year when everything else is thinking about sleeping. I have alot of wood asters.

 

[DixieDreamer]

For the life of me... I don't know why I do NOT have any of these in my garden... they are such a cheerful and colorful plant! I may need to add some in my new garden areas.

 

[Amy]

Except for the #$#*@@!!!! critters! I ordered TWELVE asters 3 years ago from Spring Hill Nurseries. Their catalog said that deer tend to avoid asters, so I thought I was safe. Well, the groundhogs and/or rabbits LOVE my asters. Of the 12 I planted, only 4 survived long enough that first year and I got 2 flowers per plant. This year, they were a good 10 inches tall yesterday. Came home from work today, and they're all chewed away. I even planted marigolds around them and the dang critters even ate the marigolds!!!!!!! I am NOT a happy gardener today!

 

[Mamu]

Amy sounds like a woodchuck. So sorry to hear he is munching on your asters, It would make me weepy.

I get woodchucks every now and then, they can be very distructive when it comes to plants. They show no mercy. They eat and eat till nothing is left.

We purchased a have a heart trap for woodchucks. Every year just when the broccoli is ready one seem to show up on a day no one is home a devour the whole crop.

 

[marlasmom]

If you have to - find the woodchuck holes. There must be at least two - sometimes 12 feet from each other. Plug up all holes, but one and drop a woodchuck bomb down the last hole. It works. And sometimes you have to.

 

[Amy]

Awww, I don't want to kill the poor thing; I just want him to stop eating my plants! Last year I got this flexible screen/netting stuff that I put around some sunflowers that I planted next to the fence because the birds always ate the sunflower seeds before they could grow. Well, a baby groundhog was in our yard; I didn't see him and let our dog out. The baby groundhog couldn't get back out thru the fence because of that netting stuff and our dog killed him, the poor little guy. (Ok, I'm a sucker for furry critters, even groundhogs.)

Guess I'll try the netting stuff around my asters - at least they're not against the fence. And maybe I'll try the cayenne pepper again, too.