Erigeron Dunkelste Aller - Vergerette

The Erigeron ‘Dunkelste Aller’ is a variety of fleabane distinguished by its semi-double flower heads in mauve-purple to blue-violet shades with a golden-yellow centre. Its colour, darker than that of many garden fleabanes, remains vivid and luminous in full sun. The plant forms a compact clump, from which fairly firm stems rise that generally need no staking. Very hardy and floriferous, it fits easily into sunny borders and also provides good cut flowers.

This variety belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial: its rootstock lies dormant during winter, its leafy stems die back in autumn and re-emerge from the ground in spring. Old catalogues classified it among the Erigeron hybridus; its ancestry is probably linked to Erigeron speciosus, a fleabane of meadows and clearings in western North America. 'Dunkelste Aller' was introduced in 1951 by the German firm Benary. Its name means "the darkest of all", referring to the particularly deep colour of its flowers. The rootstock produces a basal clump of lanceolate leaves, medium green to greyish-green, long and slightly hairy. Smaller leaves adorn the flowering stems. These branch in their upper part and reach 45 to 60 cm in height, with a spread of 35 to 45 cm. They bear several flower heads 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Each has a central disc composed of small yellow flowers surrounded by several rows of very narrow, petal-like ray florets. Their colour ranges from purple-violet to blue-violet depending on the light. The main flowering occurs in June and July. By cutting back the faded stems above the foliage, new growth and a lighter second flush of flowers are obtained in late summer. The flowers attract bees, hoverflies and butterflies. This fleabane withstands harsh winters and sea air. It also tolerates a short dry period once established.

Easy to grow in rich, well-drained soils, Erigeron 'Dunkelste Aller' is highly decorative in borders and edging. It pairs beautifully with Erigeron ‘Sommerneuschnee', the shrub roses, the catmints, the hoary skullcap and the pink coneflowers. Borne on stems that are long and rigid enough, its flowers hold well in small country-style bouquets.