Callistephus chinensis King Size White seeds - China aster

China Aster King Size White (Callistephus chinensis) illuminates borders and summer bouquets with its large, double flowers of immaculate white. With sturdy stems reaching nearly a metre, this vigorous annual excels both in the garden and in vases. Easy to grow in fertile, moist and well-drained soil, it offers generous and refined flowering from summer until the first frosts.

The China Aster 'King Size White' is a variety of annual plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Known by the common names of China Aster or Annual Aster, the botanical species is native to China and Korea, where it grows naturally in meadows and woodland edges. The Callistephus genus comprises only one species, C. chinensis, which has several botanical synonyms such as Aster chinensis and Callistemma chinensis.
The King Size series is the result of a Dutch horticultural breeding programme focused on producing high-quality cut flowers. These cultivars have been developed to offer large flowers, prolonged flowering, increased disease resistance and varied colours.
The 'King Size White' cultivar produces large, pure white, double flowers, measuring up to 8 cm in diameter. These inflorescences are flower heads, borne on robust stems reaching 90 cm to 1 m in height, featuring slightly recurved ligules or "petals". The plant has an upright habit and dense branching. The foliage consists of medium green, oval leaves with serrated edges, measuring about 5 to 10 cm long. The green stems are erect and sturdy. The flowering, which spreads from August to October depending on the sowing date, offers a continuous display for several weeks and attracts bees and other pollinating insects. Callistephus chinensis 'King Size White' follows an annual cycle: the plant germinates in spring, flowers in summer and dies in autumn after producing its seeds.​

The popularity of the China Aster as a cut flower dates back several centuries in China, where it was cultivated to adorn imperial gardens and used in traditional floral arrangements.

China Aster 'King Size White' charms with the purity of its flowering and its excellent performance, both in borders and in bouquets. Few flowers rival the generosity of China Asters and their timeless elegance. These plants form magnificent clumps in summer borders and offer continuous flowering if you remember to remove the faded flowers. The tall varieties of the 'King Size' series combine harmoniously with each other. Pair 'King Size White' with China Aster 'Unicum', Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sensation Purity' or Scabious 'Fama' for fresh and elegant compositions. And to gather armfuls of flowers until the first cold weather, you can sow a few rows in the vegetable garden!