The Victorian flower making a comeback with British shoppers

Independent

a day ago

Asters, popular in Victorian times for communicating feelings, are making a big comeback with Britons.
A major UK supermarket has reported demand for the blooms rocketing by nearly 350 per cent over the last two sales years.
Asters were widely bought and displayed in the 19th century, when floriography – the language of flowers, used to discreetly communicate feelings – blossomed. English etiquette at the time discouraged displays of open emotion.
Jamie Simpson, Tesco Flowers expert and technical manager, said the supermarket started selling asters in 2022 "not only because they look lovely but also because they are such great value for money".
He added: "In that first year we sold 215,000 bunches but they became so popular so quickly that last year we sold 500,000."
Mr Simpson hopes to "sell nearly double that" this year.
For Victorian Britons, asters were seen as a symbol of love, patience and wisdom, making them an ideal gift for a loved one.
They also represented elegance and grace, two qualities that were prized during the Victorian era.
'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.
'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 per cent 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.'
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.
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.