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Aster novi-belgii 'Marie Ballard' (Symphyotrichum)

£4.90
Aspect:
Full Sun
Aspect:
Light/Partial Shade
Soil Type:
Most Types
Colour:
Blue

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Plant Overview

A tall aster with large double light blue flowers in September and October. Quite beautiful. 

Height: 90cm

Asters:

The perennial Asters, which include Michaelmas Daisies, are essential to prolong the flowering season of most gardens well into autumn. 

When autumn tints are mostly reds and golds, Asters provide refreshing contrasts in whites, pinks, lavenders and purples. 

They will grow in sun or light shade.

Another advantage is that they come in a wide range of heights, to suit all purposes.

Michaelmas daisies were introduced from America in the 17th Century and became a cottage garden favourite. Those from New England took the name Novae-Angliae and those from the low-countries' settlements around New Amsterdam (now New York), were called Novi-Belgii.

Note: Asters have largely been renamed Symphyotrichum but we are stick-in-the-muds and prefer the traditional name.

  • Asters attract honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies to the garden.
  • The name Aster comes from the old Greek word 'astér' which means 'star' and refers to the shape of the flower.
  • The Hungarian uprising of 1918 is called the Aster Revolution because demonstrators in Budapest wore the flower in large numbers.
  • The aster is the flower for a 20th (porcelain) wedding anniversary.
  • The Germanic tribes believed that the smell of burnt foliage from wilted asters drove away poisonous snakes and evil spirits for the winter.
  • In the modern language of flowers the aster represents love and patience. 

Common name(s): Michaelmas Daisy

All our plants are supplied in 9cm pots unless otherwise specified. Plants in this size pot establish quickly in the garden and often outpace plants in bigger pots planted at the same time. Our potted plants can be planted immediately, unless otherwise noted, or you can leave them in their pots until you are ready to plant.
The majority of our plants are grown outdoors. This means that they follow their natural growth patterns and are ready to plant at any time of the year. If you order the plants in winter, they are likely to be dormant and died back to ground level, ready to shoot again in spring - just like the herbaceous perennials in your own garden. Very occasionally, in winter and early spring, we may indicate on the packing slip that a plant needs to be hardened off before planting out. This will be because it has just come out of a polytunnel. If you have any questions about our plants or growing methods, please feel free to drop us an email.
We grow most of what we sell ourselves, in our nursery in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Our prices include VAT at 20%.
Please note: We do our best to provide acurate photographs of the plants we sell, but colours display differently on different screens, printers and in different light and we cannot guarantee that what you are seeing on your screen, or on the plant label provided, will exactly match the plant when it flowers in your garden. Plant dimensions are given as a guide only and the actual sizes reached may vary from garden to garden, depending on local conditions.