Callistephus chinensis 
Annual

Light: sun - partial shade
Height:  6 to 30 inches
Width:  6 to 12 inches
Flower Colors: mainly pinks, blues, purples; some white, red
Bloom Time: summer - fall

Special Features:
Beds/Borders
Container
CutFlowers
Cutting
Flowers
Showy Flowers

Companion Plants
Blend with baby's breath (Gypsophilia) or statice (Limonium).

The annual China aster produces flowers in a wide variety of forms and colors. It blooms from early summer to frost. There are varieties that produce single, double, pompon, and frilled or plumed asterlike, solitary blooms on relatively long stalks with toothed green leaves. Colors include white, purple, blue, and pink. China asters range in height from 6 inches to 3 feet tall. Dwarf varieties spread as wide as the height and are good edging. Taller varieties, which make excellent cut flowers, are good for the middle of a flower garden or in a cutting bed. You may want to replant every few weeks for continuous blooms.

Notable Varieties
'All Change' produces bi-color pompons on 1 to 1-1/2-foot tall plants.
'Carpet Ball' and 'Dwarf Queen' grow 8 to 10 inches tall and are resistant to wilt.
'Florette Champange' bears quilled, pale pink flowers, grows 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall, and is wilt resistant.
'Ostrich Plume' is wilt-resistant and grows 1-1/2 feet tall.

Care
Needs rich, well-drained, neutral soil. Water regularly and feed occasionally by working in compost two or three times during the season or by applying a slow-release fertilizer, following label directions exactly. Stake tall varieties. Apply mulch once plants are established. Sow every few weeks for continuous bloom. Rotate planting location every year.

Planting
Buy nursery seedlings; or, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks prior to last frost or sow outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. Space 12 inches apart in the garden. Sow every few weeks directly into the garden from midsummer to fall for continuous bloom.

Pests and Diseases
China aster is often plagued by wilt diseases and aster yellows-virus. Destroy affected plants. Aphid, mealybugs, rust, and gray mold can also cause problems. Spray to control disease-spreading plants.