Aster amellus Blue King

Aster amellus 'Blue King' is a variety of summer aster with large-sized flower heads for the species. The flowers are a beautiful deep lavender-blue. This intermediate-sized plant blooms abundantly in the second half of summer. This aster tolerates poor, chalky soil, as long as it remains moist. It enhances and enlivens flower beds during a sometimes colourless period of the year, bridging the gap between summer blooms and autumn colours. It is not very sensitive to wind.

Amellus aster belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is native to Eastern Europe and Turkey, where it grows in hilly and mountainous areas, in warm and dry habitats, in meadows, in clearings, at the edge of forests, on slopes, and along paths. 

'Blue King', obtained in 1954 in Great Britain, is one of its many cultivars. This perennial shows a clump-like, upright habit with few branches from spring onwards. It reaches a height of 50cm (20in) when in bloom, and spreads over 45cm (18in), with fairly rapid growth. The generous flowering takes place in August-September. The inflorescence is a head with peripheral, ligulate flowers of a bright blue-violet colour. The central flowers (the heart) are yellow-orange. The heads measure around 4cm (2in) in diameter, grouped in a short corymb, numbering 2 to 6. This aster is a deciduous perennial with slightly hairy stems, whose above-ground vegetation dries up and dies in late autumn. The basal leaves are slightly pubescent, rough on both sides, generally entire, oblong, lanceolate, and medium green. The cauline leaves are sessile, meaning they have no petiole and are directly attached to the stem. This plant spreads laterally through woody underground rhizomes, without becoming invasive.

It is impossible to imagine our gardens without asters. Not demanding, they blend very well with all other flower bed and border plants, such as perennial salvias or shrub salvias, gauras, catmints, or agastaches. Both cheerful and melancholic, these perennials accompany the return of autumn and the splendour of autumn foliage. Try combining pink and blue asters with Cotinus 'Grace' or dwarf winged euonymus: the colour combination is astonishing. These plants are also excellent for cut flowers.