Asters

Nature 2 Minutes

It’s a cruel trick of Mother Nature that the most glorious weather of the gardening season coincides with the decline of most blooming plants. Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), however, don’t play along with the prank. Like garden mums, asters flower in response to the shortening days of fall, giving gardeners a beautiful display of buds that can bloom from August through October. Native to North America, New World asters comprise many species in several different genera of plants, as well as dozens of cultivars, but for gardeners, asters are simply great flowers that provide purple or blue daisy-like flowers late in the season.

Aster Care

Although home and garden centers often market asters as a seasonal purchase among displays of pumpkins and hay bales, asters are long-lived perennials that can become a permanent part of your landscape. These fast-growing perennials will be ready to put on a good fall display in their first year, and once established, they will hold their own for many years.

While you can grow aster flowers from seeds planted in the springtime, it may take several years for them to mature into full-sized plants. More often, asters are planted from potted nursery specimens. They do best in loamy, well-draining soil, and desire a good amount of space around the plants to allow room for their roots to expand.

Every three years or so, the root clumps should be dug up and divided to keep the plants from getting too woody and dying out in the centers. The woody center can be discarded, with the outer portions replanted at the same depth as before.

Light

Plant aster flowers in an area that boasts full sun for the majority of the day. Too much shade can cause lanky plants and fewer flowers, especially for the more common cultivars and hybrids. There are some native species varieties, however, that will do quite well in partially shady conditions.

Soil

Asters appreciate loamy soil that’s slightly acidic, with a pH ranging from 5.8 to 6.5. If your soil is alkaline, you can correct it by adding organic matter such as well-rotted manure, leaf mold, or compost.

Water

Keep new plantings moist and continue watering regularly until the flowers are finished blooming. As a rule of thumb, the soil your asters reside in should stay consistently moist but never saturated. One thing to note: Try to water the base of your asters without splashing water on the leaves—doing so can cause mildew or fungal growth. One inch of rain or watering once a week is usually recommended for most perennial plants.

Temperature and Humidity

Aster flowers thrive in cooler temperatures and are frost-hardy, able to withstand near-freezing temperatures temporarily. When it comes to humidity, asters have no special preferences and therefore will not need increased humidity levels or extra spritzing.

Fertilizer

Asters are moderate feeders, and they appreciate being fed with a balanced flower fertilizer twice a month, beginning in spring and continuing until the blooms begin to open. Excessive nutrients can shorten the blooming time, so stop fertilizing asters in August.

Types of Asters

The taxonomy of asters is somewhat complicated, as it now includes several genera of plants, all within the Asteraceae family. Most gardeners do not need to worry too much about the taxonomical details, as all these plants are sold as asters and all have the familiar daisy-like flowers and perform the same way in the garden. Some of the more popular cultivars include:

‘Celeste’: These dark blue flowers bloom early and feature bright yellow centers.

‘Hazy’: Another early bloomer, the “hazy” aster boasts raspberry-pink flowers with yellow centers.

‘Puff’: The puff aster is hardier than many other white cultivars and will bloom among the earliest.

SOURCE: THE SPRUCE

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Published by pat frederick

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108 thoughts on “Asters”

        1. Things are well. Painting the exterior of the house and getting ready to insulate the floors this fall. Garden has been great for us this year. Ms. Mama got a couple of raises this year so that is good considering she works remote. May be moving back in another year or 2 if she gets an offer to replace her boss who is ready to retire after this next year.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Morning, Pat! Still full dark here but GT was waiting for breakfast, crouched on the sidewalk outside the patio door….68 this morning and supposed to get up to 100+ today!

      Liked by 1 person

            1. She has to trust me first – nothing can be accomplished until that line is crossed. She still doesn’t want me to touch her -now that I think about it, I did stick my fingers out towards her again this morning but she still wouldn’t sniff them…that tells me she’s not interested in going further yet.

              Liked by 1 person

  8. Feisty Hayseed
    September 3, 2023 1:51 am

    Feds Flagged Nearly 75,000 Illegal Migrants As Potential National Security Risks

    Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flagged 74,904 illegal migrants nationwide for potentially posing risks to national security between October 2022 and August, according to CBP data obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    Certain illegal migrants are deemed to be “special interest aliens” because they may have travel patterns that “possibly have a nexus to terrorism” or may come from countries with such ties, according to a 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fact sheet. Border Patrol agents encountered 25,627 “special interest” illegal migrants in fiscal year 2022, compared to 3,675 encounters in fiscal year 2021, according to internal agency data previously obtained by the DCNF; however, this data doesn’t account for all CBP encounters of special interest aliens

    The FBI is currently searching for a group of more than one dozen Uzbek migrants that federal authorities released into the country after they used an ISIS-tied smuggler to cross the southern border illegally.

    https://dailycaller.com/2023/09/01/illegal-migrants-national-security-risk/

    Liked by 2 people

  9. it’s getting light enough to see out at the pond and it looks like a big bear went thru the pond some time overnight. the cat tails are broken and scattered and the outfall pipes have debris across the top. it’s not rain or wind damage–the deck is dry and nothing is out of place anywhere else.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I don’t have proof, but the deer have been in the pond and they don’t make that kind of damage…but the bears swim and can go further out and around.
        sorry I didn’t get to see it though–they can be funny!

        Liked by 2 people

              2. Well…I did a dance with whatever bug is in circulation. Started upper respiratory, then fever then bronchitis.
                Hit it early on (within a day of symptom onset) with protocol including Zinc, Selenium, Quercetin, Vits C&D. Then Ivermectin.
                So the one suspicious aspect was fever on about day 3. But it moved fast. Fever lasted 2 days & all was improving till around day 5 when I could feel that unmistakable feeling of descent into lungs.
                So I hit it with 5 days of azithromycin which has taken care of the lungs.
                All better with just tiny residual congestion.
                I feel like I dodged a bullet.
                DW never caught it.

                Liked by 1 person

  10. nwtex
    September 3, 2023 2:12 am

    Wow…..these are serious accusations by a “Democrat” with credible proof of election fraud.

    pic.twitter.com/A1vzYaYi6D

    — Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) September 2, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Troublemaker10
    September 3, 2023 2:46 am

    Politico reports that Democrat Party hack and legal hitman Marc Elias is among those behind the 14th amendment plot to disenfranchise tens of millions of Republicans. I’ll address this on radio Tuesday.

    — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) September 2, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I would love, love, love to have one of those birds! Oh, my! I just got this picture in my mind of the bird and Jake going head-to-head! ROFLMAO – that would be sooo funny!!! Jake would be scared out of his fricking mind!

      Liked by 1 person

            1. He is a true “scaredy cat!” Any time anyone comes into the house, he hides in my closet for a good long while or I’ll see him peeking around the corner from my bedroom.

              Liked by 1 person

  13. September 2, 2023, News
    “Joe Rogan Talks COVID, Gender, Big Pharma & More With Political Commentator Bill Maher
    Both Rogan and Maher lamented the changes in the liberal landscape, citing “Wokeism” as a toxic ideology.”
    By The Vigilant Fox

    “In episode 2029 of The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan hosted Bill Maher, a comedian and political commentator best known for his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher. The two spent considerable time discussing their podcasts, the evolving landscape of liberal politics, and the state of free speech and social issues in America today. What stood out from the conversation was not just their shared love for podcasts as a medium for open dialogue but also their concern for the shift in liberal politics from a classical understanding of liberalism to what Maher calls “Wokeism.”

    Both Rogan and Maher lamented the changes in the liberal landscape, with Maher calling himself a ’90s liberal and Rogan echoing the sentiment. They took issue with the recent trends in liberalism that have seemingly been hijacked by extreme leftism, particularly noting the stifling effect this has had on free speech and open dialogue. They also delved into the complexities surrounding race and equality in America, each offering their views on how society should strive for a colorblind future while still acknowledging the systemic issues that plague many minority communities.

    Joe Rogan mentioned that he left California primarily due to disagreements with how the state was handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Rogan moved to Austin, Texas, citing California’s lockdowns and his perception that they were ineffective and potentially harmful.

    And much more was revealed in this episode. Video clips are available below for a deeper dive into this 80-minute discussion between Joe Rogan and Bill Maher:….”

    NF: There are 7 Tweet links embedded but the video is being suppressed on one of them and it is the Tweet that discusses how Pfizer deceived the public with the jabs – interesting! You can watch the entire show on Spotify but you have to sign up for an account, unfortunately.

    https://vigilantnews.com/post/joe-rogan-talks-covid-gender-big-pharma-more-with-political-commentator-bill-maher

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I just posted this at M’s…..

    OK – hang on one danged minute! I’m watching a YT video that was posted last night by someone here, I think – sorry, I’ve been all over the place already this morning so IDR who or where but, in any case….Matt Whitaker, for whom I have always had a great deal of respect, and Greg Jarrett, the drunk….which should tell you how I feel about HIM….both of them are trying to justify McSmarmy’s statement about requiring a vote in the House before engaging in an impeachment inquiry. Uh, excuse me? There is NO law or rule that requires that, to my knowledge – Mr. Whitaker said he admires McSmarmy because “…he is being fair….” Huh??? ALL is fair in love and war, Whitaker, and THIS is WAR!!! Same with the drunk: shove your “regular order” where the sun never shines! Congress went off the “regular order” railroad many years ago!

    I am one of THE biggest supporters of integrity and “doing the right thing,” but this is solidly within the realm of down-and-dirty political gamesmanship. If there is no established rule or law that governs this issue, well, then – what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander! Pat and I go back and forth on ballot harvesting, of which I don’t approve; however, if it is legal, fine, but do it with INTEGRITY! No strangers going around to rest homes gathering ballots – there must be a personal connection, IMO, and a limit to the number of ballots one person can submit.

    And another thing….Whitaker claims “it’s not big thing” for political bigwigs to have an anonymous cell – you know, all that spam interferes with them “doing business!” BULL SHIT! It is a blatant ploy to avoid having your calls in the official record!!!

    In case the video wasn’t posted here…..

    Liked by 1 person

      1. He was also talking about various Gmail accounts – same thing – they just don’t want it to be “official!” And the spam comment is pure BS – they have staff that go thru those e-mails!!!

        Liked by 1 person

  18. “Federal Court Rules Against FDA Over Anti-Ivermectin Posts”
    2ND SMARTEST GUY IN THE WORLD
    SEP 3, 2023

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “This is an important update to last month’s FDA article: https://www.2ndsmartestguyintheworld.com/p/bombshell-fda-admits-guidance-on

    “BOMBSHELL: FDA Admits Guidance on Ivermectin was Illegal, Invokes ‘Sovereign Immunity’ for Misleading Statements (& Crimes Against Humanity)”
    by Zachary Stieber

    “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) likely overstepped its authority when it told Americans to “stop” using ivermectin against COVID-19, a federal court ruled on Sept. 1. “FDA can inform, but it has identified no authority allowing it to recommend consumers ‘stop’ taking medicine,” U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett wrote in the ruling.

    The FDA has authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to convey information to consumers. The FDA during the COVID-19 pandemic has issued multiple statements discouraging people from taking ivermectin against COVID-19. Accompanied by a picture of a horse and a link to an FDA webpage on ivermectin, the agency wrote in one social media post: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.” The page it linked to is titled, “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19.”

    Three doctors sued the FDA over its statements on ivermectin, arguing the agency cannot advise doctors on which drugs to prescribe. Ivermectin is approved by the agency as an antiparasitic drug for both humans and animals.

    Federal law gives the government immunity against legal actions, with some exceptions. One exception, known as ultra vires, is when an official acts outside their authority. Plaintiffs challenging the acts must show that the official was “acting ‘without any authority whatever,’ or without any ‘colorable basis for the exercise of authority,’” according to an earlier court ruling. The FDA does have the authority to share data and facts, the parties agree. But they diverge on whether the FDA can issue recommendations on medical matters, such as treatments.

    The FDA has claimed that the posts do not contain advice, stating in one brief that they were “informational statements” that “do not ‘direct’ consumers, or anyone else, to do or refrain from doing anything.” At the same time, the FDA acknowledged that the statements “provided recommendations” and “advise[d] consumers.”

    “Despite these concessions, FDA never points to any authority that allows it to issue recommendations or give medical advice,” Judge Willett wrote. “Rather, FDA argues that some posts included a hyperlink that leads to the update. The update, in turn, directs consumers to “[t]alk to your health care provider.” But not all of the social-media posts included such a link. And even for those posts that did include a link, the posts themselves offer advice, not mere information.”

    The update itself is problematic because of its title, “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19,” the judge said. Even though it later says that people can take ivermectin if prescribed by a health care provider, “the trailing qualifier does not lessen the opening instruction’s imperative character,” he said.

    U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown ruled against the doctors in 2022, finding that doctors had not proven an exception to sovereign immunity and that there was no indication the FDA acted outside of the authority conferred by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Judge Brown erred on the second point as well, according to the new ruling. “Nothing in the Act’s plain text authorizes FDA to issue medical advice or recommendations,” Judge Willett said.

    The judge, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, was joined by U.S. Circuit Judges Edith Brown Clement and Jennifer Walker Elrod. Judges Willett and Brown were appointed under President Donald Trump. Judges Clement and Elrod were appointed under President George W. Bush. The appeals court panel remanded the case back to Judge Brown to decide on whether the doctors have standing. The ruling followed oral arguments before the panel.

    Dr. Robert Apter, one of the plaintiffs, called the ruling “a big win for doctors and for patients!” The U.S. government has not yet reacted to the ruling. A big win indeed. Sadly, too many were denied early treatment while being murdered by hospital protocols and they ended up losing.

    Of course, the illegitimate U.S. government will never react to the ruling, because it is hellbent on the next phase of their democide this fall and winter. And what happens when a ruling on the DEATHVAX™ is finally reached that exposes this whole slow kill bioweapon eugenics program? Because that day will eventually arrive (by design), and the surviving generically modified humans will be none too pleased.

    They want you dead. Do NOT comply.”

    Link for sharing: https://www.2ndsmartestguyintheworld.com/p/federal-court-rules-against-fda-over

    Liked by 1 person

  19. “Current Lahaina population data GONE from US Census Quickfacts website.. Replaced by an X”
    September 1, 2023 3:29 pm by CitizenWatchReport

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The Census has an easily accessible program called QuickFacts that gives a snapshot of cities, towns, etc., with lots of data. Most importantly, it gives the population. As of 2022. Since much of the subsequent info QuickFacts provides will be in percentages, the current or most recent population number is important. It’s gone for Lahaina. I realize the imgur below is hard to read. Here is a link as well:

    What’s insane is that the Imgur made earlier today shows only x in the 2022 population area, but the above link – now shows population data from 2020 now… sneaky.
    Some links to show you what the data looks like for non-microwaved areas of the United States:

    Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio –
    http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/cuyahogafallscityohio/PST045222

    Pittsburgh, PA-
    http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/pittsburghcitypennsylvania/PST045222

    Current population – before the attack – for Lahaina was 13,261 –
    https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1542950-lahaina-hi/

    Boy they don’t want this out there!”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. they still haven’t accounted for 1000 children and 3 school buses I think…
      they want to redirect focus on burning man–the mud is an inch thick…hell we have a MUD fun park 2 towns over that holds MUD events that have mud thicker than that!
      people bring their 4 wheelers and trucks and slop in the mud—
      something sounds fishy

      Liked by 2 people

  20. I saw a statement on Fox earlier that Jimmy Buffett had been suffering from skin cancer, which is allegedly why he died. It metastasized into lymphoma.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Had I not gotten mine removed, I would likely be in the same boat by now or headed down that path at least. But with my darker skin tone, I’m not at risk like he was, being Irish and pale-skinned.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. Well, he’s been allegedly fighting it for “two years.” What happened 2 years ago??? It’s just common sense…..I know, I know…not much of that around these days!!!

            Liked by 1 person

  22. “Biden’s ATF creating sneaky backdoor against gun owners — Proposal will soon be finalized and enacted” — By The Western Journal, Published September 1, 2023 at 10:00p

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Joe Biden launched a war against the Second Amendment during his first days in office, and now he is taking that attempt to eliminate our rights to another level. Biden’s antagonistic Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is set to put new rules in place forcing background checks on more gun sales, according to The Washington Post.

    “The rules would codify changes outlined in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed by [Biden] in June 2022 and was the nation’s most significant gun-control legislation in 30 years,” the Post explained.

    The rules are aimed at the mythical “gun show loophole” that liberals have been screaming about for years. Biden wants people selling guns privately — meaning those who don’t do so for a living — to have to obtain a federal firearms dealer license. Then he wants to force whoever buys a gun from them to undergo an expensive background check. Until now, private sellers have not faced these requirements. What this means is that if you have your father’s old pistol, you can’t sell it to your neighbor for a few bucks unless you go through the intensive process of becoming a firearms dealer.

    “The rules, which could be challenged in court, will be finalized and enacted after a 90-day public comment period,” the Post reported on Thursday. Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, blasted the onerous new rules in a news release, saying, “Now, anyone who sells a single firearm in a given year and makes even a penny of profit will be subject to dealer requirements, including a background check. “People need to realize this is just the next step in the anti-gunners’ longform playbook to enact backdoor universal registration of firearms, and eventually, to confiscate all firearms. They will not stop until that day.”

    Biden has been throwing as many rules at the wall as he can to put more limits on the rights of law-abiding gun owners while doing next to nothing to stop actual gun crime. For instance, soon after taking office, Biden pushed out an executive order targeting pistol braces, which leftists constantly lie about by saying they turn guns into “automatic weapons.”

    At the same time, his first nominee to head the ATF was an anti-gun zealot named David Chipman, whom he later had to withdraw because Chipman was too radical. The next year he was at it again, announcing huge restrictions on dealers to make guns harder to sell and therefore more expensive to buy. The irony here is that criminals are not affected by any of Biden’s rules. Criminals don’t attend gun shows or buy guns from a law-abiding neighbor. All these orders and regulations only serve to make it more difficult for normal citizens to exercise their right to bear arms.

    Biden and his gun-grabbing regulators know all this well. But they don’t care because the goal is not to stop crime or nab criminals. The goal is to turn law-abiding Americans into criminals so that the government can swoop in and confiscate their guns.”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. No doubt! It’s ridiculous! I bought my 380 10+ years ago, never been fired – I wonder if they expect me to “get a license” if I decide to give it to my GS!?!?

        Liked by 1 person

          1. No, I wouldn’t here. When you buy a weapon for the first time in the state, you go to the police station and get your fingerprints scanned and get a State license – as far as I know, that doesn’t expire. That’s the only time you have to register, unless you want a concealed carry permit. Then you are required to take some training courses first. But I’m not particularly interested in guns so IDK that much about it, tbh.

            Liked by 1 person

  23. Well, I’ve eaten almost all of my peaches – I’ll eat 3 today that I set out to finish ripening, and 3 tomorrow – that finishes up this years’ haul. Then I’ll start with cantelope every day! LOL

    Liked by 2 people

        1. LOL…don’t be jealous of the grapevines…we looked last week and the grapes are GONE!
          raccoons must have gotten them which is why they had diarrhea and pooped all over the deck. serves them right!

          Liked by 1 person

            1. that peppermint spray we tried? rodent sheriff i think is the name…we haven’t seen any on the deck since and nothing on the trail cam either.
              and it rained since then…we thought we’d have to respray but so far, they’re staying away

              Liked by 1 person

  24. I decided to take a closer look at my vines and, sure enough, most of the flowers are male. I did see a few females, tho, so I’m not totally out of luck at least. I also found this video:

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Considering that I have train tracks less than a block away, that could easily be me, except I think the only thing we see are grain cars, for the most part, going to the granary at the west end of town. They ship a lot of popcorn out of there – the big trucks come past my house a lot.

          Like

  30. Huh! I did not know that there was a REAL Smokey the Bear! In 1950, an injured baby bear was found clinging to a tree by firefighters after a forest fire was put out in New Mexico. He was rescued and taken to a vet for his injuries. That’s when the US Forest Service named him after their original cartoon character, Smokey, and took him on a publicity tour, where he was led around on a harness. As we all know, it was a huge success and turned into the longest-running public service campaign in the history of the US, recognized by 96% of Americans.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. “On Wednesday, October 4 at 2:20 p.m. ET, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert, accompanied by a notice along these lines: ‘This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.‘

    FEMA’s last test occurred in 2021 during the Covid pandemic. At the time, the emergency agency sent test alerts nationwide, causing all phones, televisions, and radios to blast an annoying sound.

    If you want to learn more, here is the FEMA article about the alert: https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230803/fema-and-fcc-plan-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-oct-4-2023

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