Perennial of the Month-- April 2001
Common name: Fleabane
Family: Asteraceae, Aster
Height x width: 18" x 18" upright
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: alternate, smooth (glabrous) except for marginal hairs (ciliate), lower leaves in rosette and oblanceolate to spatulate, stem leaves mostly lanceolate and sessile
Flowers: heads 1½" across, in terminal corymbs, lavender to mauve blue ray flowers and yellow disk flowers, daisy-like in appearance, semi-double; mid-summer and sporadically into fall
Hardiness: USDA zones 3-8, AHS heat zones 8 to 4
Soil: well-drained is crucial, moderately fertile (excess results in fewer flowers)
Light: sun
Pests and problems: downy and powdery mildews, leaf spots, rusts, stem rots, botrytis blight, aphids
Landscape habit, uses: massed in front of borders, rock gardens singly or in mass, cut flowers, containers; use for same appearance as low fall asters, tolerates maritime conditions
Other interest: name from Greek meaning "old man in spring" refering to downy young leaves of some species in spring; ancient plant first mentioned by Theophrastus; more popular in Europe than America although native to US Pacific Northwest and British Columbia; recent Blooms of Bressingham America introduction, originally introduced in 1954 by Alan Bloom as one of eleven in the "-ity" series of this genus; originally selected from crosses in the late 1940’s of E. aurantiacus and E. macrantha cultivars, this particular one having the compact habit of the former and flower color of the latter.
Other culture: remove old flowers (deadhead) to prolong bloom period; generally plants 2' tall or more need staking
Propagation: clump division in the fall (every 2-3 years), shoot tip cuttings in late spring before flowers form, seeds (100,000-400,000 per ounce)
Sources: many complete garden stores, mail order and specialty
perennial nurseries, Blooms of Bressingham
retailers