Michaelmas Daisy

Aster turbinellus

• Position: full sun / light shade
• Soil: best in lean soils that are not over-watered to avoid the need for staking
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: September - October
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  A robust and useful Aster where a slightly wilder, more meadow like appearance is required. Native to the prairies and savannahs of North America where it thrives on upland woodlands and thinly wooded slopes and bluffs. Slender upright stems are mahogony brown, branching at their top to form open sprays of single blue-violet daisies with golden centres. Each flower is around 3cm across; the overall effect of a massed planting is a glorious canopy of colour. Best grown in a lean soil to maintain a sturdy and upright habit.
  
  
• Garden care: Older flower heads and structure should be left to stand through the winter to add texture to the winter canvas and provide valuable food for garden birds.