![]() ![]() Work the soil down about a foot until it is loose and crumbly. To determine if your soil is adequate, you may want to conduct a soil test through your local agricultural extension. The addition of compost or leaf mulch can improve soil quality and drainage, and increase acidity. ![]() This plant prefers organically-rich, well-draining soil, with a pH of 5.2 to 7.5. Photo via Wikimedia Commons, via CC BY-SA. It should have full sun in cooler regions, and ideally, a bit of afternoon shade in warmer ones. The ideal location for calico aster is one that provides room for its vigorous growth habit. See our guide to dividing perennial asters for instructions on how to dig down through the roots to remove a section for immediate transplant elsewhere. New growth is the signal that the plant has rooted and is ready to acclimate to the outdoors, and then transplant into the garden By DivisionĪnother way to make new plants out of existing ones is by dividing them in the spring. This promotes condensation and keeps the growing environment moist. You can make a mini greenhouse by covering the container with a plastic bag. Keep the rooting stem out of direct sunlight, and maintain even moisture. Remove the leaves from the bottom three or four inches.ĭip the stem in powdered rooting hormone, and place it two to three inches deep in potting medium, in a container with good drainage. To take a stem cutting, use clean, sharp pruners to cut a 6 to 7-inch stem of soft, new growth in the spring or summer. You may sow seed anytime from spring to fall, prior to the first frost. Set them outside for a few hours a day for three or four days. When seedlings have two sets of true leaves, harden off to gradually acclimate them to the outdoors. Cover seeds with 1/8 inch of soil and maintain even moisture until they germinate.Īlternatively, you can start seeds indoors about a month before the last average spring frost date. Let’s look at all three methods of propagation: From Seedĭirect sow seed after the last average spring frost date has passed. However, those of cultivated or hybrid varieties are unlikely to do so.Ĭultivars may be propagated by stem cuttings and by division. The seeds of true botanical species replicate the traits of parent plants. This plant spreads by thick rhizomes and self-sowing. Swedish botanist Linnaeus was the first to classify the species in the 1700s, and is represented by the “L.” The Löves were botanists, the first from Iceland and the second from Sweden, who fine-tuned the classification in the early 20th century. In the fall, the foliage deepens to bronze tones, perfectly suited to the season.Ī noteworthy characteristic of this plant is that it does especially well in disturbed soil, as opposed to sites that have been untouched for long periods.Ĭalico aster’s complete name, including the “authors” of the species, is Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (L.) A. There may be hairs on the underside of the leaves. ![]() They may be as long as four to six inches near the base of the stems, and become incrementally smaller as they approach the stem apex. The foliage is green and narrow, with some visible serration on the largest leaves. In late fall, the flowers go to seed, turning to tufts of cottony brown and white that are dispersed by the wind to self sow. Unlike some other asters, the nectar tubes of this type are quite short, and attract beneficial insects that have a short proboscis, like mining bees. As they don’t all mature at the same time, they have a multicolor “calico” appearance. They have delicate white rays and fuzzy-looking yellow centers that mature to shades of red and pink. Tiny blossoms measuring about one-third of an inch across cluster in upright panicle fashion along the upper side of each graceful stem. The erect stems are green to brown, and hairy, with lateral branching. It grows from one to three feet tall at maturity. Also known as white woodland, starved, or side-flowering aster, the calico aster is a North American herbaceous native plant with a bushy, clumping growth habit. ![]()
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