In the autumn months everything blooms in shades of purple in Picton Garden near Great Malven, where the Picton family has grown asters since 1906. Today, the site forms The National Collection of autumn-flowering asters, and it has gradually become quite an extensive collection.
From August to mid-October, you can see over four hundred different asters growing among other late perennials, grasses and shrubs. It is a fantastic sight, as asters come in a range of colours from white and pale pink through light purple to very dark purple.
The autumn flowering asters can be from just 10 cm in height to almost 200 cm. There are great variations, and it depends - among other things - on the soil they grow in. If the soil is well-drained and sandy, they will not grow that tall, while in nutrient-rich soil they can grow above average height.
Asters are wonderful plants to have in the garden because they are hardy and bloom so willingly. Fortunately, more people are realizing that asters are not just beautiful to look at; they are also extremely good to plant for the sake of wildlife.
Asters attract butterflies and bees in large numbers, and they are a fine source of food for the insects at a time when there is not much else in the garden. When the plants later go to seed, the birds come to eat the seeds, so asters will bring life to the garden in a lot of different ways.
