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Asters featured at fall Florabundance plant sale
5:51 p.m., Aug. 24, 2006--Come autumn, the aster is the garden's dazzling diva. Just as other flowers are fading, the aster takes center stage, its vibrant, jewel-tone blooms are a strong contrast against the pale, pastel petals of summer. A cool-loving plant, the aster trumpets its arrival in fall with as much reserve as a brass marching band. The aster is the featured plant at this year's University of Delaware Botanic Gardens Friends fall Florabundance plant sale, slated for from 9 a.m.-3 p.m, Saturday, Sept. 9, behind Townsend Hall on South College Avenue in Newark. More than 20 varieties of asters will be on sale, many of which are aster varieties with top-performance ratings established in trials at Mt. Cuba. Along with the asters, 150 varieties of other perennials and shrubs will be available. Most one-gallon-sized plants are $8. The aster typically is star-like in shape and comes in shades of bright purple, red and pop-eyed pink flowers that bloom from August through November. The aster genus is made up of 250 to 300 species, most of which are indigenous to North America. Asters belong to the largest of the flowering-plant families--formerly called Compositae, now Asteraceae--whose relatives include zinnias, dahlias, mums, sunflowers and other daisies. For more information on the sale or a complete list with descriptions of all plants offered, check the web site at [http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/plantsale/index.htm]. |
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