7 Double-flowered Asters to have in the garden

The aster 'Bart's Blue Beauty' - autumn aster, a soft blue

Particularly floriferous, the Aster ‘Bart’s Blue Beauty’ – autumn Aster offers a rich display of semi-double flowers in a mauve blue-lilac, bright yellow at the centre, from September to November. This plant, 40 cm tall, is well ramified and shows rapid growth. Plant it in full sun in well-drained soil, even poor and calcareous. Easy to grow, it is robust, not very susceptible to disease and hardy. It is well suited to planting in rockeries and borders, where it forms large flowering groundcover cushions. Its dark green foliage is deciduous.

The bluish colour of this Aster pairs well with the yellow of the Canada goldenrod – Solidago canadensis, with which it will create a striking contrast that draws the eye in the garden and enlivens the borders.

The Aster dumosus 'Star light' – dwarf autumn aster, a very dark pink

The Aster dumosus ‘Star light’ – autumn dwarf aster is distinguished by its small semi-double daisies of a very dark pink, which appear between August and October. The colour of their petals contrasts with the yellow of the flower centres. With a compact habit, this perennial reaches 30 cm in height and its ramified stems bear glossy dark green foliage. The lanceolate leaves are deciduous. Easy to care for and hardy, this plant is perfect for sunny rockeries, borders, beds, containers and autumn planters. You can plant it in full sun or partial shade in fresh, rich soil.

To create a cheerful and refined autumn scene, you can plant it alongside airy ornamental grasses or heucheras with decorative foliage, playing on differences of colour and form.

The Aster novae-angliae 'Andenken an Paul Gerber' - large autumn aster, a deep pink

The Aster novae-angliae ‘Andenken an Paul Gerber’ – Giant Autumn aster stands out thanks to its semi-double flowers, magenta to deep purplish-pink, which bring vibrancy to the garden. At 1.5 metres tall, this giant autumn aster bears daisy-like flowers with very fine rose-red ligules arranged around an orange-yellow centre. They are fragrant and attract butterflies and other pollinating insects. Like New England asters, it produces sturdy stems that do not require staking and is very resistant to powdery mildew. It prefers a sunny position in fresh to moist, even clayey soil. Another advantage is that it keeps very well in a vase and is excellent for creating long-lasting cut flower arrangements.

In a border or a container, this Aster creates a country-style atmosphere when paired with large perennials, such as rudbeckias and gauras.

The Aster novi-belgii 'Fellowship', ruffled and soft pink

With its double, soft-pink flowers, the Aster novi-belgii ‘Fellowship’ enchants garden borders. This tall aster can grow up to 1.2 metres tall and flowers from August to October. Its 5 cm flowers have very double petals and a slightly tousled appearance. They open above medium green, deciduous foliage, creating an airy, romantic atmosphere in the borders. Hardy and easy to grow, it will establish in a sunny spot in cool soil. However, Asters novi-belgii are susceptible to downy mildew, so we recommend treating them preventively with an appropriate treatment. They are perfect for making cut flower arrangements and for enhancing rockeries by the edge of ponds or naturalistic or wild-style flower gardens.

In your garden, have fun pairing them with other asters, as well as grasses and wildflowers.

Aster novi-belgii 'Reitlingstal' - large autumn aster, a lavender-mauve

The Aster novi-belgii ‘Reitlingstal’ – tall autumn aster is a large perennial around 1 metre high that produces a multitude of semi-double lavender-coloured flowers between September and October. With its bushy habit, it brightens borders with its vivid, surprising colours, creating a strong contrast between the blue petals and the yellow centre of the flower. The branching stems are clothed in lanceolate, dark glossy leaves that are deciduous. Hardy, robust and easy to grow, this tall aster thrives in full sun, in fresh, fertile soil and sheltered from the wind.

With this aster, try creating autumn border displays. Place them at the back of the border beside tall grasses, chrysanthemums and echinaceas in warm colours.

The Aster novi-belgii 'White Lady' - a tall autumn aster, a bright white

The Aster novi-belgii ‘White Lady’ – large autumn aster is remarkable for its semi-double bright white flowers contrasting with a yellow centre. Very floriferous, this large perennial, reaching 80 cm at maturity, is among the best varieties of autumn asters with white flowers. From September to October, the dark green, elongated, pointed foliage becomes covered with a multitude of daisies that make excellent cut flower arrangements, which last a long time in a vase. It should be planted in the sun, in cool soil, at the back of borders. This plant can be susceptible to mildew, so treatment should be planned to prevent this disease.

In a border, it can be paired with Salvia microphylla ‘Little Kiss’, the Crocosmia ‘Meteore’, Dahlias and repeat-flowering daylilies for a refined and elegant atmosphere.

The hybrid aster 'Carmen', the radiance of vivid pink

The Aster hybrid ‘Carmen’ combines the vigour of New York asters and the low-maintenance nature of ericoid asters. This perennial plant becomes covered with small, semi-double, slightly tousled star-shaped flowers of a vivid pink rarely seen in asters. The cheerfulness of the pink is enhanced by the golden-yellow centre of the flowers. The stems are slender and bear oblong, lanceolate, medium-green leaves. The foliage is deciduous. This aster is easy to grow and adapts to heat, drought, and poor, calcareous soil. Reaching 90 cm at maturity, it prefers a sunny position and fresh soil.

Excellent for cut flowers, Aster hybrid ‘Carmen’ is also superb in a garden border. Pair it with other asters with pink and blue flowers and with the dark foliage of a Cotinus ‘Grace’ or the variegated, bright foliage of a Euonymus, a dwarf with winged stems. You will thus create striking, colourful displays.

For more information on growing asters, you can consult our full factsheet dedicated to planting and care of asters.