Aster ageratoides Starshine

Aster ageratoides Starshine is an easy-going perennial that is extremely floriferous even in partial shade, reliable and particularly resistant to powdery mildew. This variety is unique in that it blooms tirelessly, from summer to autumn, offering a multitude of brilliant white stars with golden hearts that fade without disfiguring the plant. Bushy and compact, this generous-tempered aster is an ideal plant in a large bed, in a country-style or naturalistic garden. It also makes beautiful flowering pots for the terrace or balcony.

Aster ageratoides is a perennial plant native to northern Myanmar, southwestern China and Tibet. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. The 'Starshine' variety stands out for its exceptional floribundity, even in slightly shaded areas, and its compact habit. This plant with weak suckering forms a dense and regular clump, composed of upright, stiff and closely packed stems, with deciduous, slightly rough, matte-green, deeply cut foliage. When mature, this variety will measure approximately 40 cm (16 in) in all directions. From July until October-November, countless small flowers appear with very fine white ligules, like seedlings of white daisies with yellow hearts. Very perennial, this variety is perfectly resistant to cold and powdery mildew, which often disfigures asters. Its above-ground vegetation dies in winter and reappears in spring.

Plant Aster ageratoides Starshine in any soil, in full sun or partial shade. This variety even tolerates poor-quality soil like backfill soil or compact, clayey soil. In the garden, place it at the front of your flower or shrub beds, or in a large flower border. For example, associate it with lady's mantle, heucheras, or small grasses (sun-loving Stipa, Carex or Japanese sedge, in partial shade). Its unrestrained flowering with a beautiful lightness attracts pollinating insects and promotes biodiversity in the garden. The flowering stems are very pretty in a vase in a floral arrangement, in the company of September roses.

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