fall aster
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Fall Asters Confused About The Season
This is the second year when I’ve seen my Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) bloom in the “incorrect” season. As the name would suggest, this plant normally would bloom in the fall (September to December), but mine has several premature flowers that started appearing about a month ago. Other Fall Aster plants in Seguin are doing Continue reading
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Fall Asters Are Blooming
The average blooming schedule for Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is September to November. My plant (and others in Seguin) had a brief time of blooming in May this year, apparently confused by some environmental signal. However, now we seem back on track and new flowers are forming in the correct season. Continue reading
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A Spectrum Of Colors In The Pollinator Garden
Ideally in the pollinator garden in front of the house, there will be blooms from early spring until late fall, and in a variety of colors. Different insects and birds prefer different colors. Sorted by flower color, this is what is currently in the garden (blooming in late July unless stated otherwise). This list doesn’t Continue reading
beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, chile pequin, common sunflower, fall aster, flame acanthus, gregg salvia, gregg’s mistflower, gulf muhly, horseherb, lantana, lyreleaf sage, mealy blue sage, pink evening primrose, prairie verbena, scarlet sage, silver ponyfoot, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, sneezeweed, straggler daisy, texas sage, tickseed, yarrow -
June Pruning Advice For Native Plants
Drake White, Owner and Founder at The Nectar Bar, is very knowledgeable about Central Texas native plants. She recently posted with recommendations for June pruning. This is what she said, and I’ll follow her list with notes about my own plants, almost all of which are in my pollinator garden near the front porch. (Some Continue reading
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Fall Aster Seems Confused
In my front pollinator garden I have a Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), which is “supposed” to bloom September to November. However, this plant has a few flowers in mid-May, and additional buds suggest there will be more. Sometimes plants will do this if they perceive an unusual climate signal, although they usually sort themselves out. Continue reading
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New Plants For The Front Pollinator Garden
If you want to skip the preamble, I have a list of plants further down this post. Last year I planted several native plants in the flower bed in front of the house to make a small pollinator garden (replacing builder-installed plants that were not wildlife-friendly). I was pleased with the growth of the plants Continue reading
barometer bush, beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, chile pequin, fall aster, flame acanthus, gregg salvia, gregg’s mistflower, gulf muhly, horseherb, lantana, lyreleaf sage, mealy blue sage, native plants, pink evening primrose, pollinator garden, prairie verbena, scarlet sage, silver ponyfoot, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, smallflower desert-chicory, straggler daisy, texas sage, texas toadflax, tickseed, volunteer plant, yarrow, zinnia -
New Spring Growth: Fall Aster
I introduced a new small Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) plant last year in my front pollinator garden. Over the winter, it froze back, but I am already seeing vigorous growth from the ground. I just love seeing plants wake up in the spring! Continue reading
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Lunch At The Pollinator Garden
We have a bench in our front porch, which faces east. So this is a favorite place for me to eat afternoon meals if I want shade, or morning meals if I want sun. Even in mid-November, here in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9a, there are still plenty of plants in my little pollinator garden Continue reading
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The New Fall Aster Is Open And Ready For Business
I only planted a Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) a week ago, and already since then it has burst into bloom and is being visited by pollinators. In the upper left of the photograph above is a bee, genus Megachile. Most, although not all, of these bees cut small pieces of leaf to line their nests, Continue reading
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My Little Pollinator Garden
I’m taking different approaches for the front and back gardens in this new lot. The back area is a major work-in-progress that will probably take 2-3 years to take shape. In contrast, the front — and more visible to the public — area is intended to look more managed, even as changes are being made. Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 