This Autumn everyone I speak to has discovered a love of Symphyotrichum. Or should I say, rediscovered Asters, as they were previously called. What’s going on? I’ve been researching Symphyotrichum all summer and then my friend Annie highlighted them at Scampston Hall, closely followed by my friend Stephen pointing out a particularly nice cultivar – I’m hooked. Social media too is awash with people singing praises of the plant seemingly ignored by all of us over the last few years.
Is this a case of rebranding afoot thanks to their new botanical name? It’s not like the new varieties we’re all zoning in on are even new, they’ve been about for years. Perhaps what I’ve been thinking for the last few years is true, people love a challenging Botanical name to get their teeth into and the recent rebrand has worked. Or perhaps it’s simply been a better autumn…
If you are wondering what all the fuss is about, take a look at the below photos of some Symphyotrichum I loved during our first visit to Sussex Prairies on the most exceptionally beautiful October afternoon.
We have a wild variety that grows here at our 7,600ft.elevation. The blossoms are only the size of an American dime, but as a mass they give a nice blue-violet color this time of the year. Snow in the mountains around us already, but these little guys still see fit to bloom.