Much like birthstones, birth flowers signify the month someone is born. Many people believe the flowers reflect certain personalities. September babies are lucky to have a few options as their birth flower.
First is the gorgeous Aster which is well recognised as the September birth flower. Asters are a group of perennials and annuals with starry-shaped flower heads. They bring delightful colour to the garden throughout late summer and autumn when many other summer blooms may be fading. The name Aster comes from the Ancient Greek word άστήρ meaning “star”, referring to the shape of the flower head. There are many species and varieties, all of which are popular garden plants due to their attractive and colourful flowers. The Aster flower comes in many shades of pink, purple and white. Various butterflies and moths will find the flowers a great food source.
With the flower having a strong connection to Greek mythology, some say that it was created by the tears of the goddess Astraea. The story tells of Astraea weeping as there was not enough stars in the sky. As her tears fell to earth, they turned into star-shaped Aster flowers. Aster flowers symbolise love, faith and wisdom.
Our second birth flower is one of the sweetest little plants you could possibly imagine, the Forget-me-not. A large display of Forget-me-not in the garden is a beautiful sight. Naturalised in a woodland setting; they are also superb. Symbolism is strong with Forget-me-nots and most countries have a story or history about them.
For some the Forget-me-not flowers represent true love. Some stories say that if you receive a bouquet of them, the giver promises you love, as well as respect. Forget-me-nots represent strong connections that can exist between not only lovers, but also friends. This connection cannot be broken or shaken by anything or anyone. Quite a huge call for such a dainty little flower!
The genus name for Forget-me-not is Myosotis. This also comes from the ancient Greek, μυοσωτίς or, “mouse’s ear”, which the foliage is thought to resemble. Forget-me-not comes in beautiful shades of pink, white and blue, with the blue tones being the ones most usually seen.
In Australia, we have our very own monthly birth flowers. Our last birth flower for the month of September is the Chamelaucium uncinatum, commonly known as the Geraldton Wax flower. The species name “uncinatum” comes from the Latin word meaning “hooked” and is a reference to the leaf tips. There are other Chamelaucium species, however uncinatum is the most commonly grown.
Geraldton Wax is common to Western Australia, but it is a great plant which is widely grown throughout Australia. It’s lovely pink or white flowers appear from June through until late October and it’s dainty five petalled flower makes it hugely popular in floral bouquets. The Geraldton Wax symbolises happiness, success and patience.
All of our September birth flowers will do well when the soil they are planted into has had Seamungus added throughout and GOGO Juice applied every 2 weeks. Once they are more than 2 months of age, you can start to apply Sudden Impact for Roses every 8 weeks for your Asters and Forget-me-nots and for your beautiful Australian native, Geraldton Wax, apply Bush Tucker.