Symphyotrichum, Michaelmas Daisy, New England Aster 'September Ruby'

I must differ on whether September Ruby can be successfully grown from seed. I'm a horticulturalist in central Vermont, and have grown th...Read Moreese asters from seed in the past. Original seed came from Park Seed back in 2001. The plants were all true to type and still thriving today in many gardens in my local area, including in gardens at my previous residence.

These plants are stunning as a single specimen or massed for a truly spectacular fall show.

Peace

I love this plant though my husband calls it my "weed". It is blooming right now (I live in Toronto, Ontario) and the bees are loving it...Read More. I have had it for a few years, but this year it is nicer than it has ever been, because I gave it the so-called Chelsea Chop or something like that in June, by which I mean I cut it back by at least a foot. This fall it is shorter, stronger, more robust looking than before, but still quite tall - about 5 feet or so.

The flower color is a gorgeous, rich deep ruby or wine red, deeper than that of any other cultivar I know. It isn't well captured in the ...Read Morephotos. It combines well with a wide range of other colors.

I didn't cut this plant back last spring, and its stems are limp and floppy. If I hadn't draped it over a retaining wall, it would have been buried in the foliage of the other (shorter) perennials of the border. Stems are so weak that it would have been hard to stake.

Said to be a weak grower. Even so, I'd allow 20" spacing between plants.

In the Chicao Botanic Garden's evaluation of aster performance, this cultivar rated only 2 stars out of a possible 5. They found it highly susceptible to mildew. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no36...

Bred by Ernst Benery in Germany before 1951. The original name was 'Septemberrubin', and it's often listed that way in catalogs.

As with all New England asters, some people develop a rash after handling the hairy foliage.

Tall 4' - Plant 20" apart. Zone 3-8 These New England Asters form semi-woody clumps which flower from late summer into fall. Tolerant of ...Read Morewet conditions, they are native to Eastern and Central United States. Mildew resistant. Ruby red flowers. Hardy and easily grown.