Clare Florist Blog

With all the excitements of the summer months, it's easy to forget that we're already into September and autumn is approaching faster than a blink. The shining flower of September, Aster, symbolising elegance and afterthought, is the ideal calming influence after those months of summer madness!

Myths and Legend

This little star of the flower world (their name literally means star in Latin) is the herb of Venus, as perfume from burning their leaves were believed to have magical powers of warding off evil serpents in the ancient times.

Like their starry origin, Asters come in a variety of colours such as blue, white and purple, just like the glow of starlight. The most common flower used by florists in China, one of the popular myths about Aster is that one can hear the slightest whisper if you listen to them closely enough.

According to legends, Asters grew from the tears of the goddess Virgo (also known as Asterea). It is believed that she was saddened by Jupiter's decision to flood the entire race during the Iron Age that she requested to be turned into a star, and when she sees the muddy aftermath, her tears fell as stardust and became delightful Asters.

Yet another legend on the origins of Asters is that once upon a time the surviving sisters of a tribal war begged the Herb Woman for help. Seeing that they would be hunted down in the future, the Herb Woman used some magic and gave them leaves using a potion. One of the sisters became the golden rod, while the other became the Aster as she was wearing a fancy looking lavender-blue dress.

Other Random Facts

• Asters are also known as the queens of the daisy family.
• In the Hungarian language of colours, Asters represent autumn.