What is it? Symphyotrichum is the fancy new name for New England and New York asters, which were recently hived off from the vast aster family by taxonomists. Don’t let the confusion over nomenclature put you off. These are border stalwarts for late summer into autumn colour, in jewel-like shades of pink, purple, white and blue.
Any good varieties? Try pale lilac ‘Little Carlow’, soft pink ‘Harrington’s Pink’, pinky-mauve ‘Coombe Fishacre’ and the bright pink ‘Andenken an Alma Pötschke’ , all at around 1m tall. For something smaller, choose 50cm ‘Purple Dome’.
Plant it with? Symphyotrichum look great with grasses and sedums; try Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Pennisetum villosum and Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ or ‘Matrona’.
And where? Full sun or partial shade. Will cope with most fertile garden soils, but don’t let it get waterlogged in winter.
Any drawbacks? Most cultivars will need staking with bamboo canes or twiggy prunings before they get going in spring, so they don’t flop come summer.
What else can it do? It offers valuable late-season pollen and nectar sources to bees and butterflies.
