Callistephus chinensis Matsumoto Apricot seeds - China Aster

The China aster or Callistephus chinensis 'Matsumoto Apricot' is a variety with large semi-double flowers in a beautiful soft apricot hue. Specially bred for the cut flower market, this Fusarium-resistant cultivar is a lovely addition to both garden and vase. This vigorous variety offers an abundance of golden-yellow-centred heads and can be sown at any time between January and July for flowering from April to October, from sowing to flowering in just 90 days. This easy to grow annual plant can be sown under glass or directly in the ground, in a sunny spot, in fertile, well-drained soil.

The Chinese Aster, is a Chinese annual plant from the Asteraceae family with a very ancient culture that has produced and still produces many very interesting varieties for borders and cut flowers. Plants from the 'Matsumoto Apricot' selection reach a height of 75 cm in a few months and are well-branched. Their stems bear oval, serrated bright green leaves. Flowering occurs from June to September, depending on the sowing date, in 6 cm diameter heads, composed of a double row of colourful ligules or petals surrounding a centre of fertile yellow florets. The plant lives only one season, blooming and producing seeds.

The China aster 'Matsumoto Apricot' is a flagship plant for borders. Its flowers create fairly simple but unforgettable scenes. Somewhat out of fashion, Chinese asters remain highly decorative plants, planted in large clumps among other annuals or perennials. Their flowers are perfect in wildflower bouquets, and the plants bloom for months if faded flowers are removed. You can grow them just for bouquets, sow them in the vegetable garden to get a profusion of flowers in late summer. Among the wide range of varieties, you will find flowers of various shapes, resembling chrysanthemums, with thin, very slender, sometimes even ruffled petals, in pompoms or simple like those of the species. They come in many shades, from white, to yellow, through all shades of pink and purple. The large single or double flowered varieties enliven the middle or back of borders.