Callistephus chinensis Standy Mix seeds - China Aster

The China aster or Callistephus chinensis 'Standy Mix' is a mix that offers large flowers in various colours, including white, several shades of pink, mauve, purple and red. The plant is quite tall, resistant to fungal diseases, Fusarium and Verticillium. The sturdy and thread-like stems bear large flowers that withstand the weather and last as long in a vase as in the ground. Perfect in pots or borders, it makes an excellent cut flower. This annual plant is easy to grow. It can be sown under glass or directly in the ground, in a sunny location, in fertile and well-drained soil.

The China 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. 'Standy Mix' forms a well-branched plant and reaches a height of 75 cm in a few months for 30 cm wide. Its stems bear ovate and toothed bright green leaves. Flowering occurs from June to September, depending on the sowing date, in 8 cm diameter heads, composed of several rows of ligules or petals surrounding a centre of fertile florets. The plant only lives for one season, to bloom and produce seeds.

The China aster 'Standy Mix' stands out in sunny borders. It thrives in well-drained and moist, even chalky soil. A bit out of fashion, what are also known as China asters remain very decorative plants, planted in large clumps among other annuals or perennials. The plants bloom for months if you remove faded flowers. They make very beautiful long-lasting bouquets mixed with other wildflowers. If only for cutting, sow them in the vegetable garden to get a profusion of flowers at the end of summer. Among the wide range of varieties, there are flowers of various shapes, resembling those of chrysanthemums, with thin, very slender, sometimes even ruffled petals, in pompoms or single like those of the species. The large single or double flowered varieties like 'Standy Mix' brighten up the middle of borders. Combine them with flowers of different shapes and colours. Their bright colours complement well with predominantly yellow plants such as heliopsis, echinaceas and coreopsis.