Success with Asters 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves 
The Victoria type may be had in all colors, 
is free flowering, and bears many flowers 
on a single bush 
Branching asters are long stemmed and large 
sized. This is an early sort that comes in 
rose, lavender and white 
unused for six or 
seven weeks to be 
acted upon by air 
and rain. Next, 
grass -clippings 
which had been 
heaped up and al¬ 
lowed to decay until 
of the consistency of 
rich black earth 
were spread six 
inches deep over the 
root-lice. If, in spite 
of this precaution, 
they should appear, 
apply wood-ashes to 
the ground round 
the main stems, but 
not so as to touch 
them; and water 
with soap-suds. Re¬ 
peat, if necessary. 
It is well to examine 
the roots of young 
Truffaut’s Peony Flowered Perfection is a 
double variety with large and incurved 
petals 
HOW TO PLANT AND CARE FOR THIS GREATLY IMPROVED ANNUAL 
SO AS TO HAVE A WEALTH OF BLOOM EXCELLENT FOR CUT¬ 
TING — THE ASTER ENEMIES AND HOW TO DESTROY THEM 
HE aster, a 1 - 
ways deserved¬ 
ly favorite among 
the annuals, has of 
late years been so 
wonderfully im¬ 
proved that it is es¬ 
pecially desirable in 
all gardens. Its ev¬ 
olution from the sin¬ 
gle type almost like 
our daisy parallels 
that of the chrysanthemum, and to¬ 
day it grows almost as large and 
showy, many single blossoms being 
almost six inches in diameter. The 
colors are remarkably diversified, 
and the plants grow vigorously even 
when started out-of-doors. There 
are a few hindrances to its growth which may easily be overcome, 
provided only that proper and consistent care be employed. 
Good asters may be grown even in soil 
naturally poor if one goes about it in the 
right way. Indeed, asters were produced 
by the author in new ground, which in 
early spring was almost as hard as a side¬ 
walk. being a fine gray sand that bakes in 
the sun to a brick-like compactness; and 
it was acid, besides. 
This is how we did it: 
When the bed was marked off, the 
ground was heavily covered with lime. 
This was dug in, and the soil was left 
A single aster 
surface and spaded in. We did this some two weeks before the 
young aster-plants were brought from the seedbed to their perma¬ 
nent quarters. Once or twice during the season, the plants were 
liberally watered with soap-suds, care being taken to put the 
water at the base of each plant and not on its leaves. 
The season of 1911 was very unfavorable, as the early months 
were hot and dry. But August brought plentiful showers, and 
the asters, which had been standing still through June and July, 
shot up with wonderful rapidity. When budding, sheep manure 
of a good commercial sort — some is much adulterated—was dug 
in about the plants ; and this, with more showers, produced many 
blossoms, most of which were fine in form, size and coloring. 
Wood ashes would have been a good tonic for them, but these 
plants had to do without it. 
I have always raised asters under the most adverse conditions, 
namely in sand. Where there is sand, there are millions of ants, 
and where ants do congregate, there are the root-lice to be found 
—aphides is too good a name for the horrid things. Only one 
plant is more difficult to grow in sand than the aster, and that is 
the rose, especially the fragrant rose. To attempt the latter is 
futile; but the aster problem can be solved. And who does not 
want asters, if attainable? 
Asters like a soil similar to woods- 
earth. Woods-earth, even if obtainable, 
is liable to be infested with snails and 
slugs which will destroy the plants. 
Dig up the aster beds or borders in 
autumn, spading in grass-clippings mixed 
with wood-ashes, and in the spring you 
will have a soil congenial to asters. Then, 
six or eight weeks before using, lime the 
bed heavily, spading it in well, and you 
will not be likely to have trouble with 
' 
(388) 
