Hairy Michaelmas Daisy

Aster novae-angliae Andenken an Alma Potschke

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: well-cultivated, fertile, moist soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: August to October
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Vivid, lipstick-pink daisy-like flowers with yellow centres erupt from late summer to mid-autumn. The petals are tightly packed, making the flowers more showy than many asters. It's excellent for adding a splash of colour at the end of the season towards the back of a sunny herbaceous or mixed border.
  
  
• Garden care: Stake with bamboo canes or brushwood in early spring. Water regularly during dry spells and deadhead to prolong flowering. After flowering cut the flowered stems to the ground and apply a generous mulch of well-rotted garden compost or horse manure around the base of the plant.