Though not easy to grow, asters are long-stemmed, long-lasting, and come in shades of purple, rose, and pink. Plant asters in full sun in the spring, after any danger of frost.

Nursery transplants are widely sold but not easy to grow; you may do just as well sowing seeds directly in the ground and then thinning seedlings to 6 to 12 inches. You’ll have better luck with asters if you improve the soil with plenty of additional organic matter.

Stake tall varieties to keep flowers from flopping over. Asters are disease-prone; pull out stunted, wilted, or yellowed plants. To keep diseases from spreading, don’t plant asters in the same spot two years in a row.