September birth flowers: aster and morning glory
The traditional birth flowers for September, what they meant in the Victorian language of flowers, and how to grow them.
Aster (Italian aster)
Aster amellus
A clump-forming perennial with rough, grey-green leaves and clusters of daisy-like flowers with violet-blue or purple petals and yellow centers, from late summer into autumn. (RHS)
US lists often mean the New York aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii.
In the language of flowers
“Afterthought” (Greenaway).
Growing it
Grow in an open, sunny position in well-drained, moderately fertile soil. It flowers from summer into autumn and is hardy in the severest European winters.
Sources: RHS
Morning glory
Ipomoea purpurea
A fast, twining annual vine with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped flowers in blue, purple, pink, red or white, from summer into autumn. (RHS; Missouri Botanical Garden)
In the language of flowers
“Affectation” (Greenaway).
In Victorian terms, putting on airs: an odd word for such a simple, open flower.
Growing it
Grow as an annual in full sun and moist, well-drained soil, sheltered from cold winds, with something to climb. It flowers from June to October in Missouri.
Take care: Harmful to people and pets if eaten: wear gloves when handling. (RHS)
Sources: RHS, Missouri Botanical Garden
About birth flowers
Birth flowers are a tradition, not a rule: lists vary a little, and no one body sets them. The meanings here come from two Victorian flower dictionaries, Kate Greenaway’s Language of Flowers (1884) and Henrietta Dumont’s The Language of Flowers (1851). Both are free to read on Project Gutenberg.
How each flower looks and grows comes from the Royal Horticultural Society and the Missouri Botanical Garden, linked under each flower. Where US and UK names differ, the US name comes first.