This is a volunteer that is several years old. When it was first found it almost ended up on the compost pile. Curiosity won out and I was rewarded with the light purple flowers in the early fall. Standing four feet tall this obvious member of the Aster family (Asteraceae) is a popular hangout for bees and now has an almost white cousin 30 feet away. My ID of this plant is a New York Aster (Novi-belgii) but as the Aster family has a gazillion members I would appreciate a conformation. Thanks, Jerry ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden )
Hi Jerry, i have Aster novi-belgii growing in my garden,.."Symphyotrichum novi-belgii",..looking at yours i would say its "A.lateriflorus,'Horizontalis'."
Hi Philip, Thank you for conferming that my aster is not A. Novi belgii. I looked at A.lateriflorus,'Horizontalis and the disk appears to be larger as well as having a more pronounced color. The rays may be about the same. Typical on the one I am attempting to ID has 9 to 13. The leaves are heart shaped and the brats resemble the leaves leading me to think now perhaps A. macrophyllus. Jerry
Hi Jerry, yours being 4ft helps to a degree,..and as you say my A. Novi belgii is not the same as yours,..if its A. macrophyllus.,..its also called bigleaf. There is another,..also a 4ft plant,..its A.Turbinellus,..mine did very bad so far this year,..mildew attack of which they are prone,..you could be lucky and have a disease free plant,..A.Turbinellus is one of the disease free ones. A. Novi belgii. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden )
So that's what a healthy Aster is supposed to look like. The poor thing I planted this spring is nothing but a little pile of green.
