We just love the Japanese Gymnaster savatieri ‘Edo Murasaki’, and they have truly been exceptional this spring. As constantly happens, recent taxonomic work has kicked this out of the gym…or more accurately, kicked the gym out of the aster. After years of being a Gymnaster, new DNA tests move it back into the genus, Aster. Whatever you call it, this amazing 15″ tall x wide perennial flowers consistently from now until September, except for very short breaks. It’s one of the most satisfactory perennials we grow, requiring virtually nothing in terms of maintenance. We grow this both in sun, part sun, and light shade, where it thrives in each. Hardiness Zone 5a-8b.
I think I saw this plant in Japan and it was blooming in May. But the Missouri Botanical Garden site says that Gymnaster savatieri blooms in September. Is it only this cultivar that blooms in early summer?
Missouri Botanic Garden (MOBOT) lists Aster savateri, but their photos show Aster incisus and their description better matches that species. If you look up Aster incisus (Kalimeris incisa) on their site, it lists A. ‘Edo Murasaki’ as a selection of A. incisus, which is also incorrect.