Calla elliottiana Denver

For a long time Callistephus chinensis American Branching Mix or China aster, has been considered to be one of the best flowers for bouquets. At the end of the season, this annual plant displays large, ruffled double flowers borne on sturdy stems that resist all types of weather. Its flowers come in a wide range of colours, particularly red and blue shades. They are long-lasting and make excellent cut flowers. These annual plants are easy to grow. Sow under cover or directly in their final positions, in rich, well-drained soil.

China Aster, also known as Callistephus chinensis, is a Chinese annual plant of the family Asteraceae that has been cultivated since ancient times and that has produced and still produces, many varieties that are very interesting as bedding plants and as cut flowers. The plants of the American Branching Mix reach a height of 60 cm in just a few months and are well-branched. Their sturdy, stiff stems bear oval, serrated bright green leaves. Flowering takes place from July-August to September-October, featuring very double, Chrysanthemum-like, ruffled flower heads with a barely visible yellow centres, that measure 6-8 cm in diameter.

The China aster is a first-rate bedding plant. Its flowers make for naïve but unforgettable scenes. A little out of fashion, they are still very decorative when planted in large drifts in flowerbeds since their flowers are perfect for pastoral bouquets, and they bloom for months if you take the time to remove their faded flowers. Sow them directly in the vegetable garden to obtain a profusion of blooms by the end of summer, even if they are just used to make bouquets. Among the wide range of existing varieties, there are some that carry flowers of various shapes that resemble those of Chrysanthemums with their fine, tapered petals arranged into pompoms that sometimes even have a ruffled look about them, or other varieties that present simple flowers like those of the type species. They come in many colours: from white to yellow, including all kinds of intense shades of pink and purple. The dwarf cultivars are perfect for borders and window-boxes, while the bigger, very double-flowered varieties like those in the American Branching Mix, are better for livening up the backdrop of your flowerbeds.