Aster (Symphyotrichum) ‘Little Carlow’ AGM

Blue Wood Aster Asteraceae

One of those plants that makes you wonder why we bother growing anything else in September. ‘Little Carlow’ forms a generous, sturdy clump, producing clouds of small violet-blue, yellow-centred flowers that completely smother the plant in late summer and autumn. The effect is airy and abundant rather than stiff and regimented, making it particularly good threaded through grasses or late-season perennials.

Its history is slightly mysterious. It has traditionally been associated with Ireland, but the cultivar has also been reported as having originated in Devizes, Wiltshire, in the 1930s. The precise breeder is not securely established, so rather than invent one, we’ll simply credit its intriguing  Devizes origin. (Irish Garden Plant Society⁠)

Whatever its origins, ‘Little Carlow’ has become one of the finest garden asters: long-flowering, remarkably floriferous and tough enough to earn an RHS Award of Garden Merit. The RHS describes it as a cordifolium hybrid and rates it H7, hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. (rhs.org.uk⁠)

Height: 90–120cm
Spread: 60–90cm
Flowers: September–October
Hardiness: H7

A first-rate Michaelmas daisy with enough flower power to make autumn look like it was actually worth waiting for!