Boltonia asteroides var latisquama
Clouds of small daisies on tall branching stems make Boltonia asteroides var. latisquama look like an aster from a distance, which is where the common name false aster comes from. The flowers are pale lavender-pink to near white with small yellow centres, opening in such numbers that the whole plant changes colour. Narrow blue-grey leaves run up the stems. Flowering is February to April.
This is a plant for the back of a large border, where its height and open habit give autumn structure without the solidity of a shrub. It suits prairie and meadow-style planting, cottage gardens and cutting beds, and it sits well beside grasses, sedums and later-flowering salvias. Bees and hoverflies use the flowers heavily at the end of the season.
Grow in full sun in soil that stays reasonably moist through summer. Boltonia forms a solid clump rather than running, but the stems are tall enough to need support in an exposed garden, so put a ring or a few stakes in during early spring before growth gets away. Space plants around 60 cm apart and divide every third or fourth year.
Reaches 1.2 to 1.5 m tall with a spread of 0.4 to 1 m.
Trimming: Cut the stems to the ground once flowering finishes in autumn. Pinching the tips out in early summer produces a shorter, bushier plant that is far less likely to need staking, at the cost of a slightly later start to flowering.
Deadheading: Not practical given the number of flowers, and not needed. Shear the whole plant over when the display is done if the brown heads look untidy.
Fertilising: A compost mulch in early spring with a light general fertiliser is plenty. Rich feeding makes tall stems taller and softer, which is the opposite of helpful here.
Watering: Water through dry summer spells. Boltonia holds up better than many tall perennials in dry conditions, but flowering is heavier where the soil stays moist from January onward.
Pest Control: Aphids on the growing tips and slugs on spring shoots are the usual issues. Neither troubles an established clump for long.
Disease Management: Less prone to powdery mildew than the true asters it resembles, though it can still mark in humid weather where plants are crowded. Give it room and divide when the clump congests.
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