September Birth Flower : The Aster

~ The Aster a symbol of love and wisdom, patience and beauty ~

The month of September has two birth flowers, Asters and morning glories and both bring vibrancy to the garden as summer fades and Autumn/fall arrives. Their bright colours are a welcome sight. The aster, with its late-season blooms, provides nectar and a place of rest for migrating butterflies. This post gives more details about the Aster flower meanings and symbolism, a further post about morning glories will follow shortly.

Aster Meanings and Symbolism

• In Greek, aster means “star,” which is a reference to the star-like appearance of the plant’s flowers.
• In ancient Greek and Roman cultures, the burning of aster leaves was believed to scare away snakes and ward off evil spirits.
• They were considered sacred flowers to the Greek and Roman gods. Greek mythology pinpoints the aster’s beginning from the tears of the goddess Astraea.
• Asters have long been a symbol of love and wisdom, patience and beauty. It has also been associated with faith, friendship, and purity.
• Purple asters are considered a royal colour and a symbol of wisdom, white asters represent innocence, red is a sign of devotion and passion, and pink symbolizes love and kindness.
• Some consider asters to be the zodiac flower for Capricorns.
• The flower is given on 20th wedding anniversaries.

The Aster in History
The stately-looking aster is beloved in gardens and homes. Thomas Jefferson enjoyed the China aster (Callistephus chinensis) in particular, growing it on his Monticello estate. The aster has also been the subject of many great works of art, including those by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. Poet Robert Frost used the aster flower as a symbol of hope in his poem, A Late Walk.

The aster has also been involved in cultural movements. A revolution in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I came to be known as the Aster Revolution, during which supporters of the revolution wore asters in their hats and demonstrated in the streets of Budapest. During World War II, asters were placed ceremonially on the tombs of French soldiers.

The aster plant has been used for various medicinal purposes over the years, too. A tincture made from New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) was thought to help with respiratory issues. It was once used to help decrease headache pain and hangovers, and as a treatment for epilepsy.

I hope you found this an interesting read, and as the gardeners among us may know, Asters are easy to grow and require very little attention. They bloom in late summer and early Autumn/fall, just when the final bit of summer colour begins to fade away. Plus, with its late-season blooms, the aster provides nectar and a place of rest for migrating butterflies.
Images on this post from google, words above from here

~ monarch butterfly on aster ~

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All the best Jan