Aster sedifolius Nanus

Aster sedifolius Nanus is a dwarf and compact form of the sedum-leaved aster perfectly suited for rock gardens, planters, and borders. This small, bushy plant has the same resilience as the wild version, now renamed Galatella sedifolia, with its narrow leaves and long flowering period of small mauve stars with yellow centres adding charm to the late season. It is a trouble-free perennial, even in poor and limestone soils, perfect for natural or drought-tolerant gardens.

The sedum-leaved Aster or Aster acre, belongs to the aster family. Native to central Europe, this species is also part of the Mediterranean flora. Resistant to cold and tolerant of limestone soils, this species can grow up to 1450m (4757ft) in altitude and is well-adapted to heat and summer drought. The 'Nanus' selection only differs in its denser habit and smaller size.

Aster sedifolius Nanus is a small perennial plant with upright, sparsely branched stems measuring about 30cm (12in) high and 35cm (14in) wide. Its stems are covered with rough, elongated, narrow leaves, 4 to 5cm (2in) long, acute, almost linear, and dark green. Flowering occurs from August to late October or early November, depending on the region and climate. It is abundant and prolonged, in the form of numerous small mauve-lilac flowers in 2.5cm (1in) diameter heads, grouped in compact clusters called corymbs, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) wide, at the ends of the stems. Each head is composed of a few slender, spaced 'petals' in blue-mauve lilac, surrounding a centre filled with tiny tubular yellow flowers. After pollination, the flowers give way to plume-like, cream-white to greyish seeds called achenes, which will be dispersed by the wind. The above-ground vegetation of this aster dries up and dies in winter, then regrows in spring.

It is impossible to imagine our gardens without aster flowers in their beds or borders. This particular variety is undemanding in terms of soil type and tolerates drought and rocky soils. Whether in a rock garden or flower border, it pairs perfectly with grasses; choose from the more moderate and less demanding ones, such as Stipa tenuifolia, Eragrostis spectabilis (pink cloud in August), Muhlenbergia capillaris (pink in autumn). It also goes well with other low-growing plants like Oenothera missouriensis, carnations, sedums, or ornamental garlics like Allium tuberosum, for example. Asters grow quickly and can fill in empty spaces in a newly planted flower bed. They allow for creating layers and rounded, fluffy shapes by combining asters of different statures and sizes, such as Aster ericoides prostratus 'Snow flury', Aster laevis, or turbinellus. Another idea is to pair with ground-cover roses, which perfectly highlight its delicate flowering.