Long ago, asters were staple ingredients in the traditional herbaceous border, yet today they have a rather old- fashioned image. Among their ranks, however, are many that fit perfectly into modern gardens and deserve a place of honour for their beauty and their value to wildlife.
Asters have been favourites for centuries and although we tend to think immediately of the late-flowering herbaceous plants, with their origins in America, many species are native to Europe. Because of their late flowers, the two big groups, the New York asters (Aster novi-belgii) and the New England asters (Aster novae-angliae), are commonly called Michaelmas daisies. Both groups have many desirable varieties but there are some important differences.
The New York asters were, in the