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Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | New England Aster | Michaelmas daisy
2023, September 17 – first bloom
Asteraceae (Daisy and Sunflower Family) (Pronounced ass-ter-AY-see-eye )
Pronounced no-vay-AN-glee-ay which is Latin and means "of New England.” That seems odd to me because I think of the Latin language as from so long ago that New England did not exist at that time.
Pronounced sim-fy-oh-TRY-kum which is Greek symph for "coming together" and trichum for "hair" or "united hairs!" That's so funny to me. This is because of the stout stems that are hairy. The stems are mostly unbranched as well and are considered "clasping" because the leaves partially encircle the hairy stem. The leaves that clasp the stem have no teeth, being lance-shaped, which means it is like the head of a spear, pointed and sharp (not to be confused with a spear-shape which is more like an arrowhead!). The leaf is narrower on the ends and wider in the middle. The lower leaves fall off leaving a bare stem by the time the flowers bloom.
The scientific name was formerly Aster novae-angliae. The old name of Aster comes from a Greek word meaning 'star,' referencing the shape of the flower, which is made up of about 100-150 individual flowers of two types that form the head, or the center, which are tube-like flowers. The ‘petals’ are also each flowers called a ray flower.
The name Michaelmas daisy comes from the fact that it tends to flower around September 29 which is the name used for the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels.
I waited to film the above video until my flowers were in full bloom and then decided to do it the next day. The next morning the flowers were all closed up! It was about to rain and I wondered if they opened and closed with the light and darkness of the sky like some other flowers and so I searched the internet and, sure enough, on cloudy days or at night, the flowers droop and close. As soon as the sun shines, they show their glorious display once again. I found that to be a great analogy to life and will think of that often now as I enjoy the blooms.
This is the great American Autumn flower necessary for every garden to keep it in bloom until frost. Mums and asters are synonymous with fall flower gardens.
New England Asters get from 3 to 6 foot high, although mine have gotten even taller than that and I try to cut them back several times throughout the Spring through July 4, when I stop cutting them back, to make them shorter.
The flower color can vary. My flowers are purple rays with sunny yellow centers. It brings a bit of cheeriness in the Autumn, almost as if to mimic the colors of Spring. Daisy-like flowers 1.5 inches wide. I find the flower is shouting out, "Hey, look, Spring will be right back in a wink after Autumn and Winter."
The New England Asters are found in grasslands, old fields, savannas, and woodlands. I like those environments and like the idea of having them in my garden.
I found this to be a great list of the different types of Asters. I have purchased some smaller Asters in the past, but none have seemed to survive. They were probably weeded as weeds by my husband which happens a lot. I want to get some smaller Asters as these are much too tall for me and require a special spot in the garden.
2023
These are the photos I took while filming the above video.
2021
By 2021, I was learning to enjoy them a little bit more.
2020
In 2020, I found the tag stuck in the soil and scanned it in. My husband often does that when he plants my flowers, even though I ask him to save them and hand them to me. That is why here in 2023 I am trying to kick him out of my garden as his randomness of planting just so they get planted allows me no control to know and learn about my plants.
2019
The second year, the flowers did this! I had no idea they would get so tall and just fall over, and since I had them up in the flower bed, the fell all the way over the edge and to the walkway below! I tried to enjoy them as they grew.
2018
I believe this is the first year I planted the Asters as they are the first photos I could find.
