Aster cordifolius
| Aster cordifolius | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Fall-Mid Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aster cordifolius (common name: common blue wood aster)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Do not allow the compost to become dry. Pre-chilling the seed for two weeks can improve germination rates[1]. The seed usually germinates in 2 weeks at 20°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn[2].
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most good garden soils[3], preferring one that is well-drained and moisture retentive[2]. Prefers a sunny position[2]. Prefers a rich soil[3].
Plants can be naturalized in a woodland or other wild garden[2].
Most species in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[4].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[2].
Range: Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Ontario, Minnesota, Georgia and Missouri.
Habitat: Woods and thickets[5].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked and used as greens[6].
Medicinal: An infusion of the plant is used as an aromatic nervine and also in the treatment of rheumatism[6].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.