I have these wonderful flowers growing in my lawn that I cannot for the life of me identify.
The grass in these areas were green, short and fuzzy most of the summer and I remember thinking I need to figure out what this was, because I'd like my entire yard to feel this way.
And now I have flowers!
Google lens and my phone both come up with Aster as the identifying plant.
It also says Aster can get fairly tall and this never got more than a few inches tall. I haven't had it mowed in a few weeks. That's my main confusion, the second is Aster keeps coming up with light purple flowers and these have ever only been white.
I'm not sure where to go to ask my questions, so I'm starting with you guys. Direct my where you will, I'm here to learn.
My questions:
Identification? Suggestions to treat the rest of the yard to kill weeds, etc and not harm this growth? Suggestions on care, as now this horribly ugly yard can have some character until I figure out the landscaping.
Again, if i need to ask elsewhere, please advise.
Also, thanks for reading.
by modernhedgewitch
10 Comments
These are in fact asters. Likely native ones if you are in the US. If you treat w weed killer you’ll get these too.
These are small asters, probably salt marsh aster https://kswildflower.org/flower_details.php?flowerID=280 but asters are tricky to ID without close up photos of all of the details. They might have stayed short this season if you mowed them – most asters are very tolerant of getting chopped or browsed. But as they get older they’ll want to branch out more and get larger.
I transplanted a frost aster out of my lawn a few years ago and now it regularly gets 4ft tall in a season.
Honestly the best way would be, wait for some good rainy weather (or now if the soil is nice and moist), get a hand weeding tool, some headphones, and spend an hour every day until you’ve taken out every single weed you see. Then, every Sunday morning (or whatever), pop out and get any new seedlings you see. After the first year, they will be drastically reduced — just keep on top of it and don’t let it get out of hand / don’t let anything set seeds.
“Aster” is a huge family. Some have white flowers while other species have purple, and some will stay short white others get 6ft tall. You’ll need to determine which aster species you have.
These look like [wild asters or symphyotrichum](https://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Blue%20Purple%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/symphyotrichum.htm)
I have these in my lawn as well (yuck, I have a HOA that requires lawn) and stop mowing around August so they can get some height and bloom. They tend to look a bit scrubby throughout the year but they are lovely plants and very drought tolerant.
I have found that choking the water on my lawn has allowed them to spread where the grass has needed a LOT more water to stay green. I’m kind of doing this song and dance where I have reduced water so that the grass looks greenish so I don’t get grief from the HOA and let these guys spread in clumps. I’m in Colorado though, so it’s going to be somewhat different for you.
Aster is a very broad family. I have Sweet Aster that grow low and bushy and Smooth Blue Aster that grow very tall and spindly.
Aster, categorically, is a lot like “dog.” How big does a dog get? That depends. What kind of dog?
Okay, I live in the Midwest 5b. I have three different types of aster that grow wild in my yard and in every roadside ditch around here. They come in yellow white and purple.
I’ve learned that if they are mowed early in the season they tend to stay short.
If you want them to spread watch for when they go to seed. The flowers turned in to small fluffy balls kinda like dandelions do, but very small only the size of the flowers. They don’t just blow away like dandelions though. When you see this go to the plant and gently grab the fluff and pull. You should now have a dozen or more seeds in between your fingers. Now drop those seeds wherever you want that plant to grow. Repeat until you are happy with the number of seeds you have moved.
I’m planning on planting some of the seeds from my back yard in my front yard this year. I’m hoping they will do well being more intentional moved.
If you mow these they will still flower
https://preview.redd.it/vpqjoeq347sf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2c41c3a34e9be376b5706745788bbd1218b2db1
These are my favorite too, if they’re the same. Mine are 3-4 feet tall though!
Hi! I believe they are https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYDI2
Symphyotrichum divaricatum
In order to get them to spread (I’m in Oklahoma and this was my goal last year) I just avoided them with the mower until spring! Let them go to seed, and then leave them as long as possible until all the seeds fly off! They will spread like crazy! Last year I had 2 “bushes” of them (they’re mowable before flowering and I don’t) and this year I have 100s 🙂