Aster (Symphyotrichum) laeve 'Glow In The Dark'

Michaelmas Daisy Asteraceae

A Michaelmas daisy with considerably more attitude than most. ‘Glow in the Dark’ makes a handsome, upright clump of almost black-purple stems and dark foliage, topped from late summer with clouds of luminous lilac-pink flowers. The name may be pushing things slightly, but in the fading light the flowers really do seem to hover above that wonderfully gloomy foliage. Very good.

Believed to be a cross between Symphyotrichum laeve ‘Calliope’ and S. novi-belgii ‘Fellowship’, it appeared in cultivation around 2010 through Dutch plantsman Hans Kramer of De Hessenhof, and was subsequently introduced in Britain through Avondale Nursery. The precise breeding history is frustratingly elusive, so we won’t pretend to know more than the evidence tells us. What is clear is that ‘Calliope’ has contributed much of the dark foliage and branching habit, while the S. novi-belgii parent presumably helps explain the generous display of pinkish-violet flowers.

An excellent late-season border plant, particularly among grasses where the dark stems provide structure long before the flowers arrive. Grow in full sun in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Happily, it is considerably less prone to mildew than some of its more highly strung relatives, and the flowers are a welcome late-season banquet for bees.

• H6 –20 to –15°C
• Height: 120–150 cm
• Spread: 60–90 cm
• Flowers: September–October