Alpine Aster ‘Dark Beauty’

Multi Buy

Size Guide
3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Alpine Aster ‘Dark Beauty’

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$6.99
Title

Ground your garden with a luxurious, deep-toned jewel that marks the grand opening of spring's finale. This stunning alpine treasure develops tidy, tight mounds of crisp green leaves that disappear beneath a dramatic canopy of starburst blooms. Each daisy-like flower displays an extraordinarily rich, velvety violet-purple hue anchored by a radiant, sunshine-yellow central eye. It delivers a magnificent pop of high-contrast saturation that beautifully updates rock features, path lines, and mixed patio pottery.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

8" H x 10" W

Zone:

3-7

Watering:

Low to Medium

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Moderate

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Dark Beauty Alpine Aster, Dunkle Schöne Alpine Aster, Dwarf Purple Alpine Aster

Scientific Name:

Aster alpinus 'Dark Beauty'

Type:

Filler / Spiller / Rockery Ornamental

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6 to 10 inches tall and 8 to 12 inches wide.

Growth Habit: Low-growing, dense, and clump-forming.

Form: Compact, uniform cushion.

Growth Rate: Medium.

Flowering: Profuse canopy of solitary, large daisy-shaped blooms.

Flowering Time: Late spring to mid-summer (typically May to July).

Flower Colour: Deep violet-purple with bright golden-yellow centers

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun to partial sun.

Soil Preferences: Moderately fertile, gritty, sand or loam profiles that drain quickly.

Soil Tolerance: Easily tolerates rocky slopes, shallow gritty dirt, and lean gravelly conditions Gardenia.net; fails quickly in stagnant, pooling mud or heavy, unamended winter clay.

Watering: Low to moderate. Avoid splashing foliage by watering strictly at the root zone.

Container Role: Functions as an outstanding, dense Filler or an alpine Spiller tucked along the rims of rustic stone troughs.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Good general health, though susceptible to powdery mildew if planted in damp, stagnant pockets.

Native Species: Yes

Fast Growing: No (Grows steadily with a dependable, controlled habit).

Attracts: Heavily visited by native butterflies, honeybees, and beneficial early-season pollinators.

Uses: Rock gardens, border edging, mass colour bands, and shallow deck planters.

Resistance: Notably deer-resistant.
Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Highly showy, vibrant blanket of intense violet stars that completely covers the green tufts for weeks.

Fall Colour: Leaves hold their basic deep green colour until winter dormancy kills the top growth back.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Vivid purple petals radiating around a prominent gold disk, followed by whimsical, fluffy silver seed heads.

Landscaping Uses: Perfect for defining structural path borders, filling pockets in rockeries, stabilizing scree slopes, and pocket plantings in stone retaining walls.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Offers an early-flowering aster alternative that blooms months ahead of traditional autumn varieties. Neat, ground-hugging form stays organized.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Serves as a vital early-summer pit stop for migrating butterflies and native bees.

Human Value: Delivers a classic, high-alpine botanical aesthetic to domestic gardens with minimal care requirements.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring after hard winter frosts finish, or early autumn.

Spacing: Space 10 to 12 inches apart to allow the compact cushions room to merge neatly.

Location Tips: Choose an open, breezy spot to maximize air circulation and ensure the soil drops excess water quickly.

Companion Plants: Complements creeping white Sedums, Alpine Bellflowers (Campanula), Dianthus 'Brilliant', and low-growing silver Artemisia.

Care:

Light Requirements: Needs full sun to achieve its maximum flower density, but handles light afternoon shade well in hot inland areas.

Moisture Requirements: Requires medium to light watering; keep soil lightly damp while establishing, then let it dry slightly between watering cycles.

Maintenance, Fertilization: Deadhead individual faded flower stems down to the leafy base to keep the crown clean and promote potential secondary late-summer blooms. Apply a very sparse, weak dose of balanced fertilizer in early spring; overly fertile soils cause it to lose its tight, dwarf habit.

Tolerances:

Exceptional cold hardiness, rocky or sandy soil profiles, and short-term summer dry spells.

Tips For Success:

Thinning / Pinching: Divide the clumps every 2 to 3 years in early spring to keep the center of the crown vigorous and prevent die-out.

Support / Staking: Completely unnecessary; its short alpine stems are naturally stiff and wind-resistant.

Special Needs: Avoid overhead watering. Apply water directly to the soil to keep the lance-shaped leaves dry.

Mulching: Mulch exclusively with a clean layer of grit or small pea gravel to protect the base from moisture.

Winter Protection: Clear away dead foliage in early spring. Leave surrounding soil uncultivated to allow its dropped seeds to sprout new seedlings.
Fruit Profile