Alpine aster vs Bushy aster

Alpine aster and Bushy aster are often considered for the same spot in the garden (flowers, pollinator friendly, container). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Alpine aster

Aster alpinus 30 cm × 40 cm after 10 years

A low, cushion-forming perennial that carries large yellow-centred daisies in violet, blue, pink or white in late spring and early summer, which makes…

Perennial

Full sun

from about CZK 79

Bushy aster

Aster dumosus 40 cm × 50 cm after 10 years

A low, dense, cushion-forming perennial that is smothered in purple, pink, blue or white yellow-centred daisies from late summer to mid-autumn, when…

Perennial

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 49

Key differences

Bushy aster grows larger: 40 cm × 50 cm after ten years, against 30 cm × 40 cm for Alpine aster.
Bushy aster copes better with summer heat than Alpine aster (an estimate: sources differ).
Bushy aster also takes heavy clay, Alpine aster needs a loose, free-draining soil.
Alpine aster needs less care than Bushy aster.
Alpine aster is cheaper: about CZK 79 at the size usually planted, against about CZK 120 for Bushy aster.

Which one to choose?

Alpine aster is the better choice if space is tight, you have little time for care or price matters.

Bushy aster is the better choice if the spot is hot and sunny or the soil is heavy clay.

Watch out for

Alpine aster

It is short-lived in heavy, compacted soil that stays wet in winter, where the crown rots or aster wilt takes it. In the hot, muggy summers of lowland gardens in Central Europe it can weaken. Powdery mildew can occur and slugs and snails eat the young shoots.

Bushy aster

Its main problem is powdery mildew: in the warm, dry late summers of Central Europe the leaves often get a white powdery coating, turn brown from the base and drop, especially when the clump is congested, the soil dries out or it has had too much nitrogen. Choose a resistant cultivar, plant it in an open, sunny spot, water the base and not the leaves in dry spells, and thin and divide crowded clumps. Aster wilt also occurs, where single shoots suddenly wither; remove such a plant and do not replant asters in the same spot. Without division it tires within a few years and flowers less.

The data side by side

Feature	Alpine aster	Bushy aster
Group	Perennial	Perennial
Size after 10 years	30 cm × 40 cm	40 cm × 50 cm
Ultimate size	15–40 cm × 15–60 cm	20–60 cm × 30–75 cm
Growth rate	Medium (uncertain)	Medium
Light	Full sun	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)	down to -34 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Low (uncertain)	High (uncertain)
Foliage	Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowering	May–July, purple, blue, pink, white	August–October, purple, pink, blue, white
Water need	Medium	Medium
Drought tolerance	Medium	Medium
Maintenance	Low	Medium
Planting distance	30 cm	30 cm
For dogs	Non-toxic (uncertain)	no data
For cats	Non-toxic (uncertain)	no data
For children	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Typical price	approx. CZK 79	approx. CZK 120

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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