The Herbaceous Island Beds at the easternmost point of the Garden are still very colourful with enormous stands of perennial sunflowers, soft pillows of succulent sedum and the occasional splash from a late penstemmon or crocosmia, but the knock-out performers for early autumn, are the several varieties of aster used in this long-season mixed planting.
Aster novae-angliae ‘Barr’s Pink’ is a stout plant with semi-double flowers in bright rose pink with a tawny centre, and with a touch of papery everlasting about them. The long-loved Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’ is more delicate, with luminous pale mauve, yellow centred flowers.
Both these varieties have good mildew resistance, essential for the dry Cambridge climate.