Growing Showy Astor From Seed

Ever considered growing these beautiful native wildflowers yourself? You can find these blue-ish-purple aster clusters all over North America on roadsides and forest edges.

We have two types of aster here in Northern BC, Showy Aster and great Northern Aster. There are different types depending on your location, but collecting seeds, and growing, and soil preference are all similar.

You can start collecting seeds from the dry flower heads in the early fall. Where I am it's right about the time when cooler weather starts, early through late September. You can remove the fluff if you want by rubbing them through a sieve, or just take them as they are. If you missed your chance or don't have access to seeds, you can purchase them here

Since Asters grow in Northern climates, the seeds will need to be stratified, (this means to experience a period of cold weather before they can germinate). Do do this, you can either plant them directly outdoors in the fall, or place them in the fridge, in a ziplock bag with slightly moist sand or perlite. Then plant them outside in early spring.

Plant them right on the soil surface or just barely covered as the seeds will need light to germinate.

Asters generally prefer well drained, loam or sand soil with a slightly acidic ph. When I first tried growing them, the ph was way too high due to my mineral rich well water. I also added too much wood ash in the soil mix. This led to some major deficiencies in growth, leaf size and leaf colour. There are many soil mixes out there, but just think well drained, not too high ph, and not too nutrient rich.

The second mistake I made when first growing Astors was over watering. Since they naturally grow on sunny slopes, they need drier, more well drained soil. When I stopped watering my asters so much they started to do better. These plants don't need to much water, fertilizer, and fuss; Infact they prefer it that way.

Overall, they're easy and rewarding to grow. They do well directly sown, or transplanted in the spring or fall. A great addition to your native wildflower garden