Victorian-era floral favourites asters make comeback at UK supermarket

Glasgow Times

a day ago

The blooms were popular in the Victorian era when floriography, the language of flowers, was used as a discreet way to communicate feelings.
Etiquette in 19th century England discouraged open displays of emotion.
Tesco Flowers expert and technical manager Jamie Simpson said the supermarket started selling asters in 2022 'not only because they look lovely but also because they are such great value for money'.
Managing director James Lacey amongst his crop of asters in bloom at L&D Flowers in Pinchbeck, near Spalding, Lincolnshire (Joe Giddens/PA)
'In that first year we sold 215,000 bunches but they became so popular so quickly that last year we sold 500,000,' he said.
'This year we hope to sell nearly double that.'
In 19th century England, asters were seen as a symbol of love, patience and wisdom making them a perfect gift for a loved one.
They also represented elegance and grace, two qualities that were valued during the Victorian era.
Demand for asters rocketed by nearly 350% over the last two sales years at Tesco (Joe Giddens/PA)
'Asters are glorious flowers that have only recently come back into vogue with growers but that, in just two years, have made a sensational impact with shoppers,' said Mr Simpson.
'Aster Matsumoto which are also known as Japanese aster, bear beautiful, large daisy-like flower heads and come in many different colours such as blue, purple, pink, dark pink, red, and white all with a bright yellow centre.'
The UK's biggest grower of asters, L&D Flowers based in Pinchbeck near Spalding, Lincolnshire, has grown five million stems for this season to meet demand.
James Lacey, managing director at L&D Flowers, said: 'Similar to a lot of fruit grown in the UK this year we have experienced a bumper crop of asters this summer because of all the sunshine and extra hours of daylight.
The blooms were popular in the Victorian era when floriography, the language of flowers, was used as a discreet way to communicate feelings (Joe Giddens/PA)
'We only started growing asters three years ago as a result of the success we have had with sunflowers but we've really been taken back by just how popular the flower has become in so short a space of time.
'In 2022, to start with, we planted enough asters to create 100,000 bunches which we've been told flew off the shelves.
'This year we've grown enough for 1.2 million bunches which is an increase of 1,100% on our initial planting.
'We grow the asters on the grade one silt soils of south Lincolnshire which are not only very fertile but also retain moisture well which has helped us through all the heatwaves which we have had this summer.'
A field of asters in bloom at L&D Flowers in Pinchbeck, near Spalding, Lincolnshire (Joe Giddens/PA)
According to Tesco, the reason asters have become so popular is that they are an impactful, British seasonal flower, with vivid colours, a good vase life and are priced at just £3 a bouquet.
Asters are fast growing annual flowers that bloom in the late summer.
The flower is native to Japan and is a member of the asteraceae family, along with other popular cut flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias, and chrysanthemums.
The aster seeds are sown into plugs and are started off in the greenhouse.
An aerial view of a field of aster. (Joe Giddens/PA)
When the small plants have established themselves, they are transplanted out into the field to continue their growth.
It takes about 12-14 weeks from planting the plus to flower harvest.
Tesco's aster bouquets are priced at £3 for a single coloured bunch or £6 for a bumper mixed coloured bunch.