Aster alpinus Goliath seeds - Alpine daisy

Aster alpinus ‘Goliath’ is a very floriferous Alpine Aster, derived from the alpine botanical species. This small, very hardy alpine perennial quickly forms a dense cushion that becomes covered with a myriad of large lavender-blue flowers with a golden heart in late spring. Offered here as seeds, it easily carpets a rock garden, the edge of a path, or pots in full sun.

This variety belongs to the Asteraceae family and is derived from the species Aster alpinus, known as the Alpine Aster or Alpine Michaelmas Daisy. A herbaceous perennial, this botanical species is native to the mountains of Europe and temperate Asia, from the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Carpathians to the massifs of the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia and northern China. It grows wild on dry, stony grassland up to about 3,000m altitude.
‘Goliath’ is an old horticultural selection, probably of European origin. This cultivar is distinguished from the type by noticeably larger and more numerous flower heads, a very generous flowering and a particularly compact habit. In horticultural literature, the synonym Aster amellus ‘Goliath’ is sometimes encountered. The plant forms a cushion-like clump 25 to 30cm tall in flower, with a spread of 30 to 40cm; it spreads slowly by means of short creeping rhizomes without becoming invasive. The bright to dark green foliage consists of oblong to spatulate basal leaves, slightly hairy, forming a dense rosette. The foliage is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the climate. The flowers are 3–4cm diameter heads with a crown of numerous ligulate, lavender-blue to light violet florets surrounding a bright yellow central disc. Flowering occurs from May to June. The flowers are very nectar-rich. They are followed by small, hairy achenes about 3mm long, topped with a pappus of whitish or yellowish bristles that are dispersed by the wind.

In the garden, ‘Goliath’ can be used at the front of borders, on walls, in low perennial beds or in deep pots and planters. It can be left alone for five to six years, then the clump can be divided to rejuvenate it. In a rock garden, you can pair it with creeping perennials such as Aubrieta ‘Cascade Purple’, Phlox subulata ‘Candy Stripes’, Campanula carpatica ‘Clips Bleue’ or Sedum spurium ‘Dragon Blood’.