Compositely Yours, Aster
Now that September has officially arrived (also known as the unofficial start of autumn, if you’ve been eagerly counting down the days to spooky season like I have), both us lowly humans as well as our plant companions are ready for well-deserved break from the summer heat. As the nighttime emerges more quickly and the sun seems wont to rise in the brisk early mornings, the purples, blues, and yellows that signal the arrival of autumn slowly begin to unravel. Asters and goldenrods are the champion perennials of late summer to early autumn, their complimentary hues playing against one another in the landscape. At a time when many other native perennials are at a standstill, these two provide critical nectar sources for pollinators late in the season.
Over the next two weeks, we’ll be highlighting some of these fall favorites to give you some inspiration as you’re designing your remaining projects for the year. This week, we begin with the asters, a true hallmark of autumn and the designated birth flower of September.
It’s a pretty big deal to have an entire family named after you, let alone when it’s the second largest flowering plant family worldwide. Asters fulfill their role as royalty of the Asteraceae, their delicate ray petals not asimilar to a jeweled crown atop the head of a monarch. Interestingly, while we attribute the name “aster” to nearly 350 species of Asteraceae plants, it’s been discovered through molecular data that a majority of the North American species belong under either the Eurybia or Symphyotrichum genera. For the sake of keeping things easy, we’ll be referring to our daisy-like friends as the Aster genus (which is also how you can find them when searching on our website!).
The dainty ray petals which give asters their frilly, delicate appearance are also responsible for helping to give the plants their name. In Greek mythology, it’s been said that the goddess Astraea turned herself into a star to view the Earth from above, and upon seeing the destruction and chaos, she wept, her tears forming into star-shaped blooms upon reaching the soil. It’s no coincidence that the Greek term for “star” is “aster”. And, star-like they be, some more than others: the white, rather demure blooms that appear in misty clusters above the foliage of Aster divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’, our native white wood aster, seem to nearly glow with a luminosity within woodland edges.
Others, like our native Aster novae-angliae, stand like purple beacons in the landscape, attracting hordes of buzzing pollinators from early September to late October. Alternatively, lower growing selections such as Aster ‘Wood’s Purple’ and Aster oblongifolius ‘Raydon’s Favorite’, create heaping mounds of soft green foliage that seemingly explode with color once cooler, longer evenings arrive.
We encourage you to explore our entire aster collection, whether on our website or here on the Nursery. They’re just beginning to come into bloom and have so much to offer for the remainder of the season. Add them to your next order to complete your fall installations with all of the necessary bells and whistles!
Aster – Meaning and Symbolism - Symbol Sage
This year, we’ve ramped up production on our goldenrod selections, introducing several straight species that are brand new to the Pleasant Run lineup. While goldenrods might get a bad rap by the general public due to the assumption that it’s responsible for seasonal allergies (it’s not, that’s it’s less attractive aster family member, ragweed), we as horticulturists are responsible for quelling the fears of our plant-blind neighbors and encouraging the inclusion of Solidago species into our home gardens and landscapes. After all, what’s better than some bright, cheery yellow blooms to round out the golden hour of the summer?
Solidago flexicaulis –
Solidago graminifolia –
Solidago nemoralis –
Solidago speciosa -
See all our Perennials