.....asters vs mums

Yogis,
Before I discovered the joy of gardening….or should I say, before it found me, I used to plant mums in the front yard each fall. It’s hard to resist those autumn colors all lined up at the store’s entrance, asking to be taken home. A chance to extend summer a bit.

And then each spring I would wait for them to come back up. It never happened. I was convinced I was the problem.

Then asters entered my life.

Asters, and what we refer to as mums, are both members of the Asteraceae family.  This family has the most basic shape of flowers with a round center and radiating petals. Think daisies, black eyed Susans, sunflowers.  There are 32,000 known plants in this family.

Asters though, unlike mums are native to the United States. Being native they are drought tolerant, easy care and come back each year! No fuss. My kind of plant. Asters will even reproduce via dropping seeds if you leave them alone. And they come in many stunning colors.

I planted my first set of lavender colored asters about 5 years ago, following up soon after with another variety. With absolutely no special attention from me (other than spending time with them) they come into a full cheerful bloom at the end of each summer, just as the garden seems to be wrapping up. The same time mums are arriving at garden nurseries.

Being native also means many kinds of bees and other insects find and enjoy them. Asters are even host plants for some butterflies who wouldn’t exist without them. Between the goldenrod and asters, my wheel remains colorful and busy through September.

The Universe, as always, communicates back in her reciprocal way. Over the last two years three different native white asters have shown up in my yard. I plant…..she plants….I plant…. she plants. They are all dainty, lovely additions to the areas where I have been clearing out invasives. Gifts.

Mums are lovely, but asters have stolen my heart. Give them a try if you haven’t already!

Learning,
SARAH