How could you not love the beauty of perennials with lavender-blue flowers with a cheery yellow center? The color pairing in the ‘Monch’ Frikart’s Aster flower gives it a very regal-looking appearance.
We discovered this pretty perennial in a favorite garden magazine. Don’t you just love when you find new discoveries that add beauty to your home or garden?
Source: North Creek Nursery
Here’s a bit of history about the beginnings of this perennial: Frikart’s Aster botanical name is aster x frikartii ‘Monch’. It is a hybrid produced from crossing the Italian aster Aster amellus with the Himilayan aster Aster thomsonii, performed by a Swiss nurseryman (Frikart) around 1920. The name ‘Monch’ is from one of the mountain peaks in Switzerland.
Source: Bluestone Perennials
Missouri Botanical Garden says that the Frikart’s Aster has no serious problems with insects or disease. To avoid powdery mildew, provide it with good air circulation, and a moist well-drained soil, even through winter, will help to prevent crown rot.
Source: Bluestone Perennials
Its big flowers are about 2.5” across, and it loves full sun. It is hardy from zones 5 – 8, and blooms in mid summer until a hard frost. What a great perennial for keeping the garden looking summery, long after many flowers are kaput.
Source: Royal Horticultural Society
The Monch grows to about 2’-3’ tall and spreads to the same. The beautiful flowers, with their very long stems, make perfect cut flowers for an arrangement. They would be really pretty in bridesmaid bouquets for a summer wedding.
Source: Cornell University
The flowers attract butterflies, and some sources say that this perennial is deer and rabbit resistant.
Source: White Flower Farm
As a reminder, more toward the fringes of hardiness zones where it may be more of a struggle for some plants to survive in their respective zones, some perennials may only be used as an annual which is true for any outdoor plant.
Do you have a favorite perennial growing in your garden?
