Aster cordifolius Blütenregen

Aster cordifolius 'Blütenregen' is covered with small pale lavender-blue star-shaped heads with yellow to purple centres. The flowers last from September until the first frost. It is like a cloud of flowers that stands out well in flower beds. This bushy aster is a perennial that has everything. Ethereal, light as a breath, and buzzing with bees, it lives up to its name: Blütenregen means flower rain in German.

Asters belong to the Asteraceae family and 'Blütenregen' is one of the many cultivars derived from the species A. cordifolius, native to North America. It forms a bushy, hardy, highly branched clump that is 90cm (35in) tall. The leaves are single, lanceolate, dentate, green, and measure 12cm (5in) long. The tiny flowerheads, resembling small daisies with a 2cm (1in) diameter, are clustered in lavender-blue bouquets. They are so numerous that they overwhelm the plant. They appear on brown, branching, and smooth stems. This flowering is at its peak in early October and lasts for 4 to 5 weeks.

Aster cordifolius 'Blütenregen' is perfect in flower beds or to dress up a fence, and it is also ideal for making bouquets. In the garden, pair it with perennial geraniums or grasses, for example. Its abundant and delicate flowering attracts pollinating insects. The flowered stems are very pretty in a vase, in a floral arrangement, alongside September roses.

The genus Aster offers a large number of species, represented by a multitude of floriferous varieties. They come in all sizes, in an extremely rich range of colours. Several species are associated with each season.