Aster ageratoides Harry Schmidt

Low-maintenance and resistant to powdery mildew, Aster ageratoides Harry Schmidt is an excellent perennial that will find its place in all gardens. This dwarf variety is very compact and transforms into a true cushion of pale lilac star-shaped flowers with a small amber centre for 2 months starting from the end of summer. Its dense and regular silhouette and abundant flowering will bring a very neat touch to the beds of heavier perennials. This very hardy aster appreciates sunny locations and well-drained but moist soil.

Aster ageratoides is a perennial plant native to northern Myanmar, southwestern China, and Tibet. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. The 'Harry Schmidt' variety stands out for its small size and very compact habit. This plant forms a regular and suckering stump with upright, rigid, and close-growing stems, bearing deciduous foliage that is slightly rough and matte-green. The mature plant will form a bushy and round clump, reaching a height of 40 cm (16 in) and a diameter of 30 cm (12 in). In early autumn, starting from September, numerous small flowers with very fine ligulate petals appear, in a pretty pastel-lilac shade that makes the foliage disappear.

Plant Aster ageratoides Harry Schmidt in any type of soil; it even tolerates poor-quality soil such as backfill soil or compact and clayey soils, with its only requirement being not to compete with other perennials with a strong root system. In the garden, for example, associate it with perennial geraniums or light grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbergia capillaris. It also forms beautiful bluish-pink flows between large rocks in a rockery. Its abundant and delicate flowering attracts pollinating insects. The flowering stems are very attractive in a vase in a floral arrangement, along with September roses.

The Aster genus offers a large number of species, represented by a multitude of floriferous varieties. They come in all sizes, in an extremely rich range of colours. Several species are associated with each season.