Michaelmas Daisy – Aster novi-belgii

Common Name: Michaelmas Daisy, New York Daisy, Aster

Botanical Name: Aster novi-belgii, A-ster NO-vee BEL-gee-ee

Decorative Life: 5-10 days.

Flower Color: Blue, Lavender, Pink, Red, White

Availability: Year Round

32-38 degrees F. However, because of the many cultivars and even species, making broad storage temperature recommendations is difficult. For example, Aster bigelovii, more accurately known as Machaeranthera bigelovii, has an optimum storage temperature of 45 degrees F.

• Flower aficionados recommend constant “pinching back” of the leaves and petals to best preserve the flowers” form.
• Latin for “star,” after its star-like flower shape, the aster was originally recognized for its healing properties. It was said that, when “beaten with old hogs grease, and applied,” that aster was good for “the biting of a mad dogge”.
• The Compositae or aster family is vast, with over 20,000 species, and is also one of the most developed families. It was named Compositae because the flowers are actually a “composite” of many individual flowers into one head. Hence, when children pull one “petal” off at a time, saying “she/he loves me, loves me not”, they are actually removing a complete flower, not just a petal.