Plant Patent Applied For. Cultivar name: 'Baldco'. Every once in a while a cultivar comes along that seems to improve every aspect of a plant. Farmington is just such a find, with great breakthroughs in mildew resistance, flower form, bud count, and bloomtime. Even if you have your favorite Michaelmas Daisies entrenched in long tradition, make room to give this newcomer a try. We think you will be amazed at the results.
These blooms are fully double, boasting several stacked layers of long, slender lilac-pink petals surrounding a large, fuzzy golden center. They begin in late summer and continue though early fall, lasting 6 weeks or more in most climates. And they simply cover these small plants, offering nearly twice the bud count of many older Asters.
Even when not in bloom, the Farmington Aster is attractive, with very mildew-resistant foliage that looks good in the worst humid or rainy weather. Hardy from one end of the country to the other, it can be grown fearlessly in sultry New Orleans, rainy Seattle, frigid northern Vermont, and just about everywhere in between.
This plant reaches 18 inches high and 24 inches wide. It was discovered growing in the home garden of Jerry Cobb Colley, formerly a co-owner of Siskiyou Rare Plants Nursery. He named it for his hometown of Farmington, Kentucky. Hardy to -40 degrees F, it is unbelievably vigorous and hardworking. Make it part of your late-season sunny garden this year! Zones 3-9.
