Callistephus chinensis Duchess Mixed ('Duchess') (Duchess Series) (d)

RHS Plant Profile
China aster [Duchess Mixed]

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Synonyms

Aster 'Duchess' (mixed)
Aster Duchess Mixed

Annual Biennial
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An upright, strong, herbaceous annual or biennial up to 60cm in height when in flower, with green leaves on branching stems and chrysanthemum–like flowers with upward-curving, double ray petals in a range of colours including pink, deep rose-pink, light and dark purple, white and yellow, from late summer and into autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H2

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Asteraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Callistephus are bushy, upright annuals with coarsely toothed ovate leaves and large, solitary, daisy-like flower-heads, often double in cultivars, in late summer and autumn
Name Status
Trade

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a sheltered site in fertile, neutral to alkaline, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Tall plants may require staking

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown at 16°C in early spring or in situ in mid-spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Bedding
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and cutworms

Diseases

May be susceptible to wilt diseases