Red, white, pink and purple…a seven-colored carpet of flowers will come to your garden!
Misha: Let’s try asters this time.
Hachibee: Aster. I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before… It sounds like the kind of name you’d often hear as a restaurant name, it’s vaguely familiar.
Misha: It’s not a Chinese restaurant. Asters are native to the north of China. They’re flowers that come from cold regions, so they’re hardy against the cold. They’re mainly planted in the spring, but you can also plant them in the fall.
Hachibee: They come in many colors, and when all those different colors bloom side by side, it’s really pretty.
Misha: Asters, which are part of the Asteraceae family, are cultivated in a variety of colors, including red, white, pink, and purple, and are very colorful and beautiful. Let’s get started!
Aster “Almost Weekly” Cultivation Report
10/22 Planting
Misha: This time I’m trying to plant in the fall. These are aster seeds.
Hachibee: It looks like some kind of grain, or like food for small animals.
10/29 Sprouted!
Hachibee: Wow! The seeds sprouted in just a week!
11/5 Leaves open
Hachibee: What a cute, round leaf.
11/12 More leaves
Hachibee: Some slightly pointy leaves have started to appear.
Misha: You’re starting to grow at a good pace.
11/19 The leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: Hmm! It feels like he’s stretching himself and growing in the direction he wants to grow in. He’s so free.
11/26 The leaves become wider
Hachibei: Wow, these leaves have grown so wide, they almost look like fans.
Misha: It looks like it can absorb a lot of sunlight.
12/3 ”Foliage turns red”
Hachibee: Just when I thought the leaves were getting wider, now they’re turning red!
Misha: It’s December and the cold is starting to set in. Aster leaves are sensitive to temperature.
12/10 Autumn leaves MAX
Hachibee: The leaves have turned red even more. There are only four leaves on the tree, and they’re already turning red!
Misha: The leaves aren’t exactly falling, but they are turning a pretty beautiful color.
12/17 Started growing again
Hachibee: Oh!? I thought the leaves would turn red and go into hibernation, but…it’s started growing again!?
12/24 Take a little break
Hachibee: …But then I thought this week was the same. I’m so moody. Merry Christmas.
12/31 The leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: It’s going to start getting really cold soon, so will it start growing?!
Misha: It is quite resistant to the cold. And the aster’s distinctive leaves with jagged edges are starting to appear.
1/7 The leaves begin to grow longer
Hachibee: Oh! The leaves are growing!
1/14 The leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: It’s amazing how the leaves suddenly start growing on what is supposed to be the coldest day of the year…
Misha: The young leaves, which don’t yet have jagged edges, are doing well.
1/21 Cold-resistant mode
Hachibee: Even Aster looks cold. There are holes in the leaves.
Misha: Yes, asters are susceptible to damping-off disease. It’s best to pick off any leaves that start to wither and die as soon as possible.
1/28 Taking a break
Hachibee: I wonder if this is the time when plants are conserving their strength?
2/4 Still off
Hachibee: I can almost hear someone saying, “I’m taking a break this month.”
2/11 Still on vacation
Hachibee: It looks like they’re just waiting patiently until spring comes and it gets warmer.
2/18 New leaves begin to form
Hachibee: Sometimes in the afternoon, I suddenly notice a warm breeze starting to blow…
Misha: It seems Aster was acutely aware of that change.
3/3 New leaves start to grow
Hachibee: Growth is finally starting to resume!
Misha: Today marks the start of March, and the leaves have started to grow all at once, as if they were waiting for spring!
3/10 The leaves start to grow
Hachibee: The leaves are so shiny.
Misha: These leaves are a little different from the ones you see before they start growing again. I can feel their power.
3/17 Increased leaf density
Hachibee: They’re growing, they’re growing! The leaves are increasing!
3/24 The leaves begin to grow upwards
Hachibee: The leaves have woken up!
Misha: It’s finally starting to grow upwards.
4/7 The leaves turn young green
Hachibee: It’s completely turned the color of spring leaves!
Misha: The shape of the leaves is also changing a bit. One of the characteristics of asters is that their leaves change color and shape so much as they grow.
4/14 The leaves become huge
Hachibee: The leaves have suddenly gotten huge!
Misha: It’s full of power. Aster leaves really do change shape and color.
4/21 The stock is firm and sturdy.
Hachibee: The leaves are so big, like a vegetable.
Misha: The base of the plant looks very strong. It looks like it’s finally ready to grow upwards.
4/28 The stem begins to grow
Hachibee: It’s finally here! We’re heading to the top of Aster Tower.
5/5 Buds begin to form
Hachibee: What?! That’s fast! Just when I thought the stems had grown, they’re already here?!
Misha: Many flower stalks are growing from one stem, and each one has started to produce buds!
5/12 The buds grow big
Hachibee: And just as I was rubbing my eyes, the buds started to grow bigger and bigger!
Misha: There are a lot of really thick stems…I wonder when they got so many!?
5/19 Blooming!
Hachibee: It’s blooming!
Misha: Many flower stalks grow from one stem, and before you know it, it looks like a forest of asters.
5/26 start to bloom one after another
Hachibee: Watching the bright red flowers bloom one by one, it’s like fireworks on a summer night, even though it’s still spring.
Misha: The other plants are also growing flower stalks one after another.
6/2 The buds begin to open one after another
Hachibee: They come at different times. And the buds have a unique shape.
Misha: It’s great. Every time you watch it, something new happens and you can enjoy the changes. It’s like watching a musical.
6/9 Gradually, flowers of various colors begin to bloom.
Hachibee: The garden, which was previously solid green, is now starting to show specks of different colors, as if lights were coming on!
Misha: I look forward to each morning, wondering where the next flowers will bloom and what color they will be.
6/16 Full bloom
Hachibee: Bravo! Such brilliant color and beauty! It looks like it could be used for a composite screen on a color TV (laughs).
6/23 End of flower
Hachibee: They bloom for about a month, and then they die in the order that they bloomed first. They keep to the correct order… You’re pretty disciplined, Aster.
6/30 The last group has bloomed.
Hachibee: There are still some flowers starting to bloom.
Misha: They bloomed one after another and gave us enjoyment right up until the end of June.
7/7 Harvest ~ The end
Hachibee: The aster was a very energetic, powerful, and vivid flower with brilliant colors. It gave me energy.
Misha: Seeds are planted in October and grow for 10 months until July of the following year. Asters grow, changing the shape of their leaves and stems as if they were seven different things, according to the changing seasons, and bloom into vivid flowers of seven colors. Growing asters that are strong yet flexible, powerful yet colorful, will make you look forward to spring even more.
~A word! Tips on growing asters~
Difficulty of cultivation：★★★☆☆
They are resistant to cold and grow powerfully from spring.
After they start growing upwards, they produce many flower stalks and many vivid flowers at once.
Their appearance
will cheer up the grower.
Just be careful of damping-off during the rainy season.
