Looking to grow some Asters but not sure whether they are an annual, perennial or even biennial? Let’s have a look and find out.
So Are Asters Perennial?
Yes, Asters are a perennial, with the proper care and attention they can keep coming back year after year. Chinese asters though, like the ones in the photo above are annual flowers.
So how do you tell the two apart? Well, Chinese asters tend to have much more prominent, showier flowers whereas regular asters much more resemble a daisy.
I love to grow annual asters to use as cut flowers, the large showy heads are really prolific and really simple to grow from seed each spring.
This is a perennial aster, they grow very bushy with an abundance of small, daisy-like flowers.
This is a china aster which is an annual. They grow larger, more showy flower heads but not in as great of a quantity. These asters make a great cut flower and the image above is actually from my allotment cut flower bed.
How Long Do Asters Last?
So we know that most asters are perennial, so how long can we expect these plants to live?
Asters are really long-lived and will keep coming back year after year for decades. After roughly three years of growth, you may start to notice that they don’t look as healthy or flowers of abundantly as they once did.
This usually means they have got a bit crowded and need dividing. You can dig the plant up in the spring and divide the rhizomatous roots.
This will create new plants and also help the main plant look its best once again.