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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
The flowers attract butterflies, and some sources say that this perennial is deer and rabbit resistant.
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?