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Asters that are planted in your garden in the spring will bloom in the fall. For late-season planting, you can purchase them already in bloom for fall color. They’ll more than likely return next year, as long as you get them in the ground about six to eight weeks before the ground freezes in your area.
How do I plant asters?
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot, and plant at the same depth that the plant is in the pot. Fill the hole with compost, and water it well. Keep it watered if you’re having a hot, dry spell, which sometimes occurs in autumn. But don’t overdo it; asters don’t like soggy feet.
How do I care for asters?
They’re not super-finicky, which is another reason to love these old-fashioned favorites. Basically, you don’t need to do anything but enjoy their blooms. If you’ve spring-planted, you may want to “pinch” off the tips of plants when they’re about 10 inches tall. Do that two to three times from late spring to early July to encourage bushiness. “You don’t absolutely have to trim them back, but you’ll get hundreds more flowers if you do because every place you pinched becomes a new branch,” says Pavlinak.
It’s also not necessary to cut them back after blooms fade in the fall. “I like to leave some anyhow over the winter, so I remember where the plants are next year,” says Pavlinak. Next spring, be patient, and don’t yank out the plant too soon because you think it’s not doing anything. They’ll come from the ground up, but they’re slow to show up and usually don’t appear until mid-May. In two to three years when they spread or start to get floppy, use a spade to divide them and replant the new clump elsewhere.
