Italian aster is known as “Our Lady’s Birthday Flower” because of its later summer bloom about the time of Mary’s birth. The Bible does not provide information on Mary’s infancy or early life but according to the 2nd-century apocryphal Gospel of James, Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim, were infertile and prayed for a child. An angel appeared and revealed to Anne that she would have a child whom all generations would honor. Mary’s conception resulted and is celebrated on December 8 as the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mary’s birth is celebrated 9 months later on September 8 as the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Picture: The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Giotto; Wikipedia
Also known as European Michaelmas daisy, this herbaceous perennial belongs to the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It is native to Europe and western Asia where it grows on rocky, limestone slopes. The plants form bushy clumps 2-2.5’tall and have well branched hairy stems. The oblong to lanceolate leaves are also hairy, up to six inches long, entire and sessile. The fragrant flowerheads have violet-purple ray flowers surrounding yellow disc flowers and are 1.5 to 2 inches across. They and are borne in terminal clusters from late summer into fall over a long bloom time. Several cultivars are available that are one to two feet tall, do not usually need staking, and have colors that are superior to the species. Although plants survive in the heat and humidity of zones 7 and 8, they grow better in the cooler part of their range.
The genus name, Aster, comes from the Latin word aster meaning star and refers to the shape of the flower. The specific epithet, amellus, is the Latin name for the plant.
Italian asters like full sun and fertile, moderately dry, well-drained soil in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8. Overly fertile soil may result in excessive growth and the need for staking. Pinching plants back 2-3″ in spring and early summer will result in compact, dense plants. Italian aster can be damaged by verticillium wilt, galls, bacterial spots, blights and rots, Downy mildew, cankers, dieback, wilt, slugs, snails, aphids, leaf and bud eelworms. Propagation is by division in spring or fall every two to three years and root basal cutting in spring.
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