China Aster ‘Harlekin Violet’

Callistephus chinensis

Features

  • Medium producer

Description

These waist-high plants produce a bumper crop of giant, textural flowers held on long, strong stems. The warm, rich grape-purple blooms of this eye-catching beauty are offset by chocolate-colored stems and deep green foliage. An excellent cut flower and a must-grow for late summer and autumn bouquets.

Details

Plant type: annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 110 to 120 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 6 to 8 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Don’t bury seeds too deeply; lightly cover with soil or vermiculite.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest single-stem varieties when flowers are 50 percent open. For spray varieties, harvest when one-quarter of the flowers on a stem have opened. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days.

Details

Description

These waist-high plants produce a bumper crop of giant, textural flowers held on long, strong stems. The warm, rich grape-purple blooms of this eye-catching beauty are offset by chocolate-colored stems and deep green foliage. An excellent cut flower and a must-grow for late summer and autumn bouquets.

Details

Plant type: annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 110 to 120 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 6 to 8 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Don’t bury seeds too deeply; lightly cover with soil or vermiculite.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest single-stem varieties when flowers are 50 percent open. For spray varieties, harvest when one-quarter of the flowers on a stem have opened. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days.

Sources

How to Grow

Seed-Saving Mini Course

Learn how to save seed from zinnia, dahlia, and celosia

In our upcoming free, three-part video series, you’ll learn everything you need to know to save seeds on a home scale, including how plants are pollinated and isolation techniques to ensure varieties come back true, how to tell when plants are ready to pick and how to harvest the seeds, and how to properly dry, clean, and store seeds long term.