Aster laevis - Giant Autumn Aster

Aster laevis, also known as Smooth Aster, is of great ornamental value. This giant perennial plant offers abundant and prolonged flowering in autumn, carrying a cloud of slightly frosted blue-mauve stars high above its grey-green foliage. Thia aster requires full sun to thrive and adapts to all soils that are not too heavy, even occasionally dry. It is a wild plant with subtle charm, magnificent in the background of a flower bed.

Aster laevis belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is native to North America, specifically Florida. This perennial grows with an upright and bushy habit from spring onwards. It will reach a minimum height of 150 cm (60in) when in flower and will spread over 70 cm (28in), with very rapid growth. The airy and generous flowering, loved by bees and butterflies, lasts from August to October. The light blue-mauve flower heads measure 4 cm (2in) in diameter, with a bright yellow centre. The stems are strong and branching, glaucous. The leaves are dark green with bluish reflections and a wine-red line down the middle. The basal leaves are lanceolate and toothed, while the stem leaves are clasping. This plant spreads rapidly via rhizomes.

It is impossible to imagine our gardens without beds of asters. This one is particularly ornamental. It goes well with intense magenta-red Salvia microphylla, Helianthus 'Lemon Queen', and tall rudbeckias, for example. The genus aster is extremely diverse, offering a wide range of colours and sizes. Depending on the cultivars, it is possible to extend the flowering period right through from spring to the end of autumn, allowing gardening enthusiasts to enjoy these lovely daisy-like flowers, with their rustic flair, for a large part of the year.