Asters (as they were known then) and other endemic Central Basin natives grew with happy abandon in the forested woodland where C and L now stands. Sixty years ago a neighborhood was carved from the woods and a house was built. Homeowners came and went, while the asters grew quietly on the woodland edge. Twenty five years ago this brand new gardener fell head over heals in love with the blue clouds of flowers that were covered with bees and butterflies in the yard of her new home. They so captured my heart, that I built a garden around them. I've allowed them to root and seed themselves with abandon. Symphyotrichum shortii, Symphyotrichum cordifolium, Symphyotrichum dumosus, Eurybia divaricata, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, Symphyotrichum priceae, and Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides have spilled into the paths, crept into the wildflower beds and cozied up to the benches all over Clay and Limestone.
They spill over into the paths,
Isn't nature grand!
xxoogail
More on Clay and Limestone's asters
Little Asters Everywhere (here)
Natives For Fall Color (here)
This Is The Place To Bee (here)
Central Basin Wildflowers (here)
This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.
These are so refreshingly beautiful in their death and decay, dear Gail. What perfect captures of the perfection in winter's long sleep. :-)
ReplyDeletexxxooo
Frances
My asters are quite an attraction to the Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrows and more. These birds spend all winter picking through the aster seeds. And as always, your photos are lovely!
ReplyDeleteYes, Gail, Nature is grand and beautiful. You winter garden is the example on just how beautiful a garden can be in the winter with seed head splendor.
ReplyDeleteMost of our asters are flattened under more than a foot of snow. I love how you captured the "starness" of them.
ReplyDeleteLove the post, love the pictures. Love that blue bench. And now am formulating a cunning plan, one that involves my resident carpenter.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is grand. I share your love of asters and most all other natives. Mz Poison Ivy and I are at odds but when I see the birds eating the berries I can't complain too much. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful post, dear Gail, and indeed grand and winter wonderful as artfully captured in your words/ images.
ReplyDeleteGail, you've captured their beauty so well! I love the photo of the aster "cozying up" to the winter bench. The first aster I planted was one of those mounded asters, name forgotten, like the ones sold everywhere with mums in the fall. I'm so glad I've found the natives now--they are indeed the real stars of the autumn garden.
ReplyDeleteGail, your writing is as lovely as the stars which fill your winter garden. You show your love for them by the way in which you write of their beauty. Thank you.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, your last photo is wonderful! Your asters give your garden a blowzy, romantic quality, and I agree that their winter appearance is also very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGail, I love your winter garden stars! I love that you are out there appreciating and photographing them, and that you leave them in place for hungry winter birds.
ReplyDeleteYour asters are indeed beautiful in all seasons. I'm sure I've said this before but I'll say it again - I covet that purple bench. It's such an eye catching piece and the colour just makes me giddy.
ReplyDeleteGail, I love the fact you are so passionate about your flowers.
ReplyDeleteI love you allow them to re-seed with such gay abandon.
I love your style .....I love the way you spread the word.
Beautiful images...
Have a lovely weekend.
I agree, Asters have a lovely aesthetic quality in winter, long after the flowers have faded. I was surprised to see so many of our native asters still clinging to their seeds last week, but had fun knocking the seeds off, and scattering them around, in the hopes of seeing more asters blooming this year!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I must see about some in my garden as I love that blue.
ReplyDeleteYour macro shots of the long gone flowers and seed heads are lovely. So much detail and beauty in the muted colors and textures.
ReplyDeleteNature is indeed grand...it seems like it was only last week that we had asters in the gardens, and now, we don't have anything but sheets and drifts and duvets of white snow...burying all but the tallest of perennial stalks and shrubs. But the beauty of that is that soon, we'll be back into the joy of bulbs and annuals and perennials and and and...and we'll forget all about the winter, won't we?
ReplyDeleteAh, it was all easier when they were just called asters wasn't it? lol I prefer your tag of ex-aster. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, if there's room, one cannot have too many asters. There's something about those blues and purples that are so magical, especially when so much else that is blooming that late in the season is yellow. And of course the flying creatures love them too!
Asters have just been noted on my "add more of these" list for my corner of Katy. Thanks, Gail ... even if they're not as pretty in winter here as they are at C&L, they will more than earn their keep.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of your winter garden. I too love the way asters seed around with reckless abandon making the garden feel as if it had always been there, adding beauty not only in the fall, but the winter as well.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely in your photos! I should get some asters seeds to spread around here -- maybe there would be enough that the bunnies wouldn't eat all of them!
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing well. Warm weather coming!
Yes, Mother Nature is grand. Sometimes I think I enjoy the graceful dying shots as much as I do the vibrant colors of youth. You've captured their essence!
ReplyDeleteLovely illustration of how some plants look just as beautiful after flowering. I am currently looking for an aster that will thrive in partial shade on my heavy soil, this was a welcome reminder that it is worth doing!
ReplyDeleteI cut back most of my ex-asters because they self-sow a bit too prolifically for my taste, but you've got me thinking I should show a bit more restraint next fall. They are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThey will always be asters to me. My memory is not so great.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!