Aster ageratoides Adustus Nanus

Aster ageratoides 'Adustus Nanus' is a small flowering aster and very compact that will fit anywhere in flower beds, borders, and even pots. It is undemanding and resistant to powdery mildew, forming a perfect cushion of numerous white-pink to pale lilac flowers with a yellow centre, in August-September. Everything about it is reduced: small countless flowers, leaves, branches, and slow growth. It is very hardy, does not sucker, and is content with a sunny exposure and ordinary soil.

Aster ageratoides is a perennial plant native to northern Burma, southwestern China, Tibet, and the mountains of Japan. It belongs to the family Asteraceae. The variety 'Adustus Nanus' is distinguished by its very small size and very compact habit. This plant forms a weakly suckering stump, very regular, with upright, stiff, and tight stems, carrying deciduous, very healthy, slightly rough, matte green foliage that resembles that of Erigeron. The mature plant will form a bushy and round clump of 30cm (12in) in height and 40cm (16in) in diameter. In August-September, numerous small flowers with very fine ligules appear, in a pretty pastel shade, white with pink or lilac reflections, whose abundance almost makes its foliage disappear.

Plant Aster ageratoides 'Adustus Nanus' in any soil; it even accepts poor-quality soil like fill soil or compact, clayey soils, and its only requirement is not to compete with other perennials with a strong root system. In the garden, for example, associate it with perennial geraniums or light grasses like Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbergia capillaris. It also forms lovely bright streaks between large rocks in a rockery or in a container on the terrace. Its exuberant and light flowering attracts pollinators.

The genus Aster offers a large number of species, represented by a multitude of flowering varieties. There are varieties of all sizes, in an extremely rich range of colours. Several species are associated with each season.