For January. 1922 



II 



Michaelmas Daisies 



WILLIAM FOLLETT 



WllKX one cun.siders the many yood qualities pos- 

 sessed by the perennial asters, commonly known 

 as the Michaelmas Daisies or Starworts, no won- 

 der arises that this flower has been for many years and 

 continues to be very popular in western Europe, and that 

 it is fast coming into its own in its cultivated and im- 

 proved forms on this side of the Atlantic. It is every- 

 body's flower, being' easy to grow ; gives quick and good 

 results at a mininnmi outlay; produces in most cases 

 large, graceful sprays of daisy-like flowers; is unsur- 

 passed for house decoration, and for brightening up the 

 herbaceous borders, shrubberies, and other garden spots. 



In the Michaelmas Daisy we have shades of color 

 enough to satisfy all tastes, ranging from the whites and 

 the palest blues through the varied shades of lavender, 

 deep blues and violet to a rich purple ; and from delicate 

 pink to crimson, including shades of mauve and lilac so 

 often sought. Two other ]TOints in favor of this beautiful 

 flower are its great range of height and the period of 

 its blooming ; varying from the Alpine varieties we so 

 often see in rock gardens blooming in May and June 

 and attaining a height of less than a foot, right on to 

 suhacrulca, the large purple flower with a golden centre, 

 which though borne on its stiiT, upright stem in June 

 when there is an abundance of flowers, cannot fail to 

 attract attention. Then with a short break in July, cer- 

 tain varieties bloom on through the Summer and Fall 

 months and often in November. After a frost which 

 has cut down the blaze of colors sujjplied by dahlias and 

 other more tender perennials and annuals, the Michael- 

 mas Daisy still blooms. 



No perennial is more entitled to the prefix of hardy 

 than is the aster, and the fact that the parents of most 

 of our much admired varieties of today are natives of 

 North America should not deter anyone from getting 

 together a splendid collection. The fact of helping Na- 

 ture to produce better flowers in the locality for which 

 she intends them, should be a sufficient guarantee of 

 satisfaction to the grower. 



Although the aster will stand nntch abuse, neglect in its 

 cultivation is not justified. (Jne can often see a large 

 clump which evidently has not been divided for vears, 

 and sometimes the soil itself has passed from the firm 

 stage and become very hard. The Michaelmas Daisy 

 will thrive in almost any soil and situation, but generally 

 does best in a fairly light soil and full sun. The taller 

 varieties benefit by a certain amount of shelter from the 

 wind, but if grown in a wet soil or in too much shade, the 

 flowers are not borne in profusion. 



The strong growing sorts are better if divided each 

 year ; with the others, every second year will suffice. The 

 best time to divide the clumps is in the Fall as soon as 

 the flowering is over, and when this is done, the beds 

 should receive a good mulching of straw manure and 

 leaves before the severe weather sets in, to prevent the 

 clumps from being loosened and drawn out of the ground 

 by the frost. The litter remaining in the Spring should 

 be removed as soon as the weather opens, the remainder 

 of the mulch being forked into the soil. The clumps can 

 be divided in the Spring, but they would start at a dis- 

 advantage to those moved in the Fall, the latter having 

 made nice roots, so that for really fine blooms it is ad- 

 visable to lift one old shoot of each variety in the Fall 

 and winter it in a cold frame. In earlv Spring break u|j 

 the old shoots and sort out the rhizomes, putting three 



or four in a four-inch jjol and growing along cool. When 

 ready, plant them where they are desired to bloom with- 

 out breaking the ball of soil. \\'here mass efifect is de- 

 sired the first year, they should be planted closely : how 

 closely must be governed by the number of spikes to the 

 pot and the habit of the particular variety planted. 



\\'hen dividing a clump of long standing, retain only 

 the outside portions, the centre of the plant, if not al- 

 ready dead, will only produce spindle-like growth. 



When thinking of propagating, it is well to reiuember 

 that the Michaelmas Daisy can be easily raised from 

 seed. However, as seedlings cannot be relied upon to 

 come true to color, they must be left out of any color 

 scheme. Anyone sowing seed outside, or in a cold frame 

 early in Spring, will undoubtedly derive much pleasure 

 and interest in watching the flowers (often quite distinct 

 from the parent) open in the Autumn, even if he does 

 not secure any decided improvement to add to the al- 

 ready long list of varieties. 



Though the plants are sheltered from high winds, it 

 pays to stake the asters. This should be done when the 

 stems are about half their mature height, and if a little 

 care is used in placing the supports, within a week the 

 stakes will cease to be an eyesore. Brushwood such as 

 is used for peas is sometimes employed, but the neatest 

 and most convenient when cutting is to ]-)lace straight 

 stakes close to the clump and run about a strong, soft 

 string. 



Although the Michaelmas Daisy is a native of this 

 country, it w^as in Great Britain that the work of hybridiz- 

 ing and improving it was first carried on to any great 

 extent. About twelve or fourteen years ago. a number of 

 good varieties were raised, including acris. albus, rosrns. 

 cricoidcs, siipcrbits, and many more which still remain 

 in spite of new ones each year. Of the newer varieties, 

 one's mind naturally turns to "Beauty of Colwall" which 

 heralded the double form, and with its mass of lavender 

 blue flowers on stems about four feet in height, opening 

 in September, it certainly is a thing of beauty. 



For those who prefer pink, there is "St. Egwin" with 

 its lovely shade of pink seldom seen in the asters. It is 

 not quite as tall as the preceding variety but of more 

 bushy habit and is a general favorite. "St. Egwin" is 

 one of the Noi'i-Belgii type as are so man}- of our best 

 asters. Tw-o other types always popular are the Xoi'cc- 

 Anglkc and Amellus of which the majority flower during 

 August and September, notable exceptions being the good 

 old stand-by, "Mrs. J. F. Rayner'' (criiuson), "Baldur." 

 and "King Edward VII" which as a rule open in October. 

 There are so many really excellent varieties it is impos- 

 sible to name them all, but among the favored are Norm 

 AnglUv and its varieties ruber and roseus which often 

 reach six feet high and flower during October and Novem- 

 ber. In contrast comes "Esme" of the N ovcv-B elgii class 

 which attains slightly 'over a foot in height, the com- 

 jiact little plant being covered with large white flowers. 

 Xox'i-RcJgii, "Climax," lavender blue, and "Feltham 

 Blue" are deserving of being in every collection, as does 

 also "Mauve Cushion." a dwarf bushy plant which has 

 large mauve and silver flowers in October and November, 

 varving on the same plant from a few inches high on the 

 outside to nearlv a foot in the centre of the plant, hence 

 the name. 



(Contiinicd on [yagc 2,i) 



