flower id please

[fender62]

i have these growning in my garden, they only bloom sept october what are they called

[Gill Catton]

Probably some kind of Michaelmas - daisy (Aster novi-belgii agg)

[smartie]

Definitely aster novi-belgii, I'd say. Could be the cultivar "lady in blue". Mine flowers through to November if the weather doesn't turn frosty too early.

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by smartie

Definitely aster novi-belgii, I'd say. Could be the cultivar "lady in blue". Mine flowers through to November if the weather doesn't turn frosty too early.

It is likely that the plant is not pure A. novi-belgii (which is quite uncommon in gardens) but more likely a hybrid with one of it's many relatives. The most common is Aster x salignus (a hybrid of A. novi-belgii and A. lanceolatus.

[IanS]

Tiggrx which one is found growing along railway line?I keep passing it on my weekly journey to Oxford at the moment, but obviously cant get close enough to really see it!

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by IanS

Tiggrx which one is found growing along railway line?I keep passing it on my weekly journey to Oxford at the moment, but obviously cant get close enough to really see it!

Ian, it could be one of several. As I mentioned Aster x salignus is generally the commonest, but other likely species are Aster lanceolatus or Aster x versicolor. They are all very similar so no way of a definite ID from a train

[smartie]

Originally Posted by Tiggrx

It is likely that the plant is not pure A. novi-belgii (which is quite uncommon in gardens) but more likely a hybrid with one of it's many relatives.

I'm surprised to hear that, as I've got three different plants in my garden all of which claim to be aster novi-belgii varieties, including the "lady in blue" that I mentioned. Might they actually be hybrids even if not labelled as such? Or have I just stumbled on the few that are available? They weren't from a speciailist nursery.

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by smartie

I'm surprised to hear that, as I've got three different plants in my garden all of which claim to be aster novi-belgii varieties, including the "lady in blue" that I mentioned. Might they actually be hybrids even if not labelled as such? Or have I just stumbled on the few that are available? They weren't from a speciailist nursery.

There has been a lot of confusion in the past over the naming of Asters and Aster novi-belgii is the name that has often been used for many plants. It is often also used as an aggregate name where plants are not specifically identified.

[IanS]

Thanks Tiggrx! Yes very difficult identifying plant at speed, but fun all the same! Makes the journey go a bit quicker!
Ian

[PeterJL]

Michaelmas daisies are amongst the hardest plants to identify. I used to record the ones I saw growing wild as Aster novi-belgii but now I think most are Aster x salignus. If you see a large patch of these hybrids they can vary so much that ones in th middle look different from the ones on the outside.

Even experts like Eric Clements to whom botanists send alien plants for identification, have difficulty with Michaelmas daisies.