I've written before (last fall) about asters and how scruffy their foliage is. I have removed tons of asters because of this major defect.And yet, look how photogentic they are!
I really must stop removing them. They are indispensible this time of the year when there is not much color in the garden.
I must remember that next summer when I get the itch to pitch.
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I agree that the foliage on asters can be weedy looking, but Oh! when those lilac and purple blooms pop they really make the autumn garden. Those along with the goldenrod just shine. Your cleaned up bed looks great - obviously no need for expensive gym equipment to keep you in shape!
ReplyDeleteI agree the flowers are lovely in your garden. There must be stuff you can plant around them to disguise the ratty lower foliage?
ReplyDeleteAnd knowing your skills with combining plants, the result is probably better than asters alone (with good foliage) would be anyway.
Sometimes the foliage on some flowers does look ragged and like you, I tend to dig it out...at this time of year, though, we need whatever flower around that has colour! lol
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that you are writing about asters again. Thanks for your great advise on the last post. Just as you said my asters have now just started to bud, so there is hope yet (provided the sun decides to shine some time soon). Thanks Zoey. TWT
ReplyDeleteP.S. Glad that you mentioned the weedy look cause at one point I was ready to pull them out as I thought that I had bought the wrong type flower.
The weedy appearance of asters also bothers me. As an alternative, I've noticed that hardy mums have very nice foliage. In fact, I wondered what the plant with the pretty leaves was in my neighbor's garden all summer. Now I see that it has nice flowers too!
ReplyDeleteasters -- love 'em, hate 'em, dunno what to do with 'em. That's me, anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh, i always remember the one year i had a subscription to Martha Stewart living she did this article on asters -- she planted like the whole side of her driveway with nothing but asters and took pics when they were blooming and was crowing about how great it was. 'That will look like utter crap for 11/12 of the year', was my first thought. And indeed the next year she tore it out. Heh.
When mine starts to bloom i will post some pics!
I hate it when blogger eats my comments! Trying again....
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about aster foliage. If you cut them back to about 2ft or less in early summer, they'll be tidier and less leggy when they bloom. I forgot to do it this year because as I mentioned before, they got lost amongst the tall rudbeckia.
BTW, I think you asked me a while back about mildew on my phlox. I usually have some, but strangely, not this year. They seemed to like the wet season, and bloomed longer than usual. I had it on some of the monarda and rudbeckia though. Do you get much of it?
Red sunflower? A 1st for me. I think it looks soo..... delightful to the eye.
ReplyDelete