Aster laevis Calliope

Aster laevis Calliope, also known as Smooth Aster or Giant Fall Aster, is a massive aster of great ornamental value, both original and precious. This variety is distinguished by its black stems and purple foliage. It offers abundant and prolonged flowering in autumn, like a cloud of small blue-mauve stars with a golden heart that turns crimson. This large, very hardy and robust perennial requires full sun to flourish and adapts to all soils that are not too heavy, and even occasionally dry. It is a plant with a wild appearance, robust but very refined, truly superb in the back of a border.

Aster laevis Calliope belongs to the Asteraceae family. Aster laevis, from which it originates, is native to North America, specifically Florida. This perennial shows an upright and bushy tufted habit from spring onwards. It will reach a minimum height of 130 cm (51in) when in flower and will spread to 70 cm (28in), with very rapid growth. The airy and generous flowering, which bees and butterflies love, lasts from August to October. The light blue-mauve flower heads measure 4 cm (2in) in diameter. The heart is bright yellow and quickly takes on a wine-like hue. The stems are strong, branching, and black. The foliage is purple with bluish highlights and a wine-red line in the centre. The basal leaves are lanceolate and dentate, while the stem leaves are clasping. This plant spreads rapidly via rhizomes.

It is impossible to imagine our gardens without asters in the beds or borders. This one is particularly ornamental. It pairs very well with intense magenta Salvia microphylla, 'Lemon Queen' Sunflowers, and large Rudbeckias, for example. The aster genus is extremely diverse, coming in a wide range of varied colours and sizes. Try combining pink and blue asters with the 'Grace' Cotinus or dwarf winged Euonymus: the colour combination is astounding. These plants also make excellent cut flowers. Depending on the cultivars, it is possible to extend the flowering period right from spring to the end of autumn, allowing gardening enthusiasts to enjoy these lovely daisy-like flowers for a large part of the year.