Aster amellus Rudolf Goethe

Aster amellus 'Rudolf Goethe' is a variety of summer aster, known for its large-sized flower heads for the species, which display a beautiful soft blue-violet colour. The medium-sized plant blooms abundantly from July to September. This perennial aster can tolerate poor and calcareous soil, as long as it remains somewhat moist. It enhances and enlivens flower beds during a period of the year that can sometimes be lacking in colour, bridging the gap between summer blooms and autumn hues. Its flowers are very attractive in summer bouquets. Resistant to wind.

Aster amellus belongs to the Asteraceae family. This plant originates from Eastern Europe and Turkey, where it grows in hilly and mountainous areas, in warm and dry locations, in meadows, in clearings, at the edge of forests, on slopes, and along paths.

Aster amellus 'Rudolf Goethe' is one of its many cultivars. This perennial exhibits an upright tufted habit with few branches starting from spring. It reaches a height of 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) when in bloom and spreads up to 45cm (18in), with a fairly rapid growth rate. The particularly generous flowering occurs from July to September. The inflorescence is a head with ligulate peripheral flowers in a soft blue-violet colour. The central flowers (the heart) are yellow. The heads measure approximately 4cm (2in) in diameter and are grouped in short corymbs, numbering from 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 dark green. The cauline leaves are sessile, meaning they have no petiole and are directly attached to the stem, and are acute. The plant spreads laterally through underground woody rhizomes without becoming invasive.

It is impossible to imagine our gardens without asters. Not demanding, they pair very well with all other plants in beds and borders, such as perennial salvias or shrub salvias, Gauras, Nepetas, or Agastaches. Both cheerful and melancholic, these perennials accompany the return of autumn and the splendour of its foliage. Try combining pink and blue asters with Cotinus 'Grace' or dwarf winged euonymus: the colour combination is astonishing. These plants also make excellent cut flowers.