Chinese Aster or China aster Moonstone (Callistephus Chinensis) seeds

This fantastic variety of tall asters features huge double blooms, making them excellent and long-lasting cut flowers. If you enjoy growing your cut flowers, they are an absolute must-grow! chinese aster moonstone is a purple colored variety with very large and dense flowers. the petals are flightly shorter, making the flower look like a teddybear. foliage of this plant is beautful dark green. Overall a new and unique type of annual aster for your garden and your home grown bouquets.

Plant information you need to know before you start your seeds

Plant type: hardy to half-hardy annual
Height: flowers grow 100 centimeters tall
Position: prefers full sun but will also flower in partial shade
Planting time: from 8-10 weeks before the last frost in seed trays
Bloom time: starts 110- 120 days after sowing. Sow seeds early if your frost-free period is short!
Spacing: 25-30 centimeters between each plant
Germination: Takes 7-14 days in temperatures of 15-20°C
Pinching: No it is not needed but you can do it.
Flowers: August to October, depending on the weather
Pollinator-friendly: double flowers are more difficult to pollinate
Recommended seed tray or pot: Start in smaller cell-size seed trays or module tray and pot up
The package contains: 50 seeds

How to grow annual Chinese aster moonstone from seed

Growing annual asters from seed is not difficult. It is preferable to start the seeds in late winter until early spring in module trays within a greenhouse or on a windowsill. While you can direct sow them in April, we have never tried this method and can therefore not recommend it. Covering the seeds is not necessary. Seedlings emerge quickly, but the plants grow rather slowly. You can plant them out from the end of April, once the plants have been hardened off. Staking is required to support the large flowers. To prevent Fusarium Wilt, rotate their location in the garden. The plants start to flower around 100 days after sowing and will continue to produce flowers until the beginning of autumn.

The flowers make excellent cut flowers due to their strength. Pick them when the flowers have opened, but you cannot see the yellow heart of the flower yet. Picking the flowers too early might cause them to wilt. When you pick flowers from the garden at the right stage, they easily last for 10 days!