The September birth flowers are the aster and the morning glory. Asters are daisy-like flowers with thin purple, pink, blue or white rays around a yellow center, and they bloom as summer turns to fall. The morning glory is a twining vine whose trumpet flowers open at dawn and close by afternoon. By tradition they stand for patient love and affection.
What is the birth flower for September?
September has two. The morning glory is the older choice on American charts: a table of the months printed in 1913, in George Frederick Kunz's The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, gave September the morning glory. The aster was added on later lists. No official body decided either way. Our guide to birth flowers by month has all twelve months.
Enter a birth date to see its flowers, its birthstone, its zodiac sign and the day of the week it fell on.
Loading the tool…
Aster: what it looks like and when it blooms
"Aster" is Greek for "star," after the shape of the flower. The name now covers several groups of plants in the daisy family.
- Fall asters (Symphyotrichum). Most North American asters were moved out of the genus Aster into this one. NC State Extension describes more than 100 species, 2 to 5 feet tall (60 cm to 1.5 m), flowering from summer into late fall in blue, pink, purple and white. The New England aster, with purple rays and a yellow center, is one of the best known.
- Michaelmas daisy. The British name for the same fall asters. It refers to the feast of St. Michael on September 29, when they are in bloom.
- China aster (Callistephus chinensis). An annual from China, 1 to 3 feet tall (30 to 90 cm), with large single or shaggy double flowers from early summer to fall. This is the aster most often sold as a cut flower.
Like a daisy, each aster "flower" is a head of many tiny flowers: a central disc ringed by rays.
Morning glory: what it looks like and when it blooms
Morning glories belong to the genus Ipomoea, the same genus as the sweet potato. The common morning glory is Ipomoea purpurea, native to Mexico and Central America.
- Size. A fast annual vine that twines 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) up a support in one season.
- Flower. A trumpet 2 to 3 inches across (5 to 8 cm), deep purple with a white throat in the wild form. Garden kinds are blue, pink, red and white. 'Heavenly Blue' belongs to a related species, Ipomoea tricolor.
- Leaves. Heart-shaped.
- Daily rhythm. Each flower opens in the morning and closes by afternoon. New ones follow daily from early summer to fall.
In some regions morning glory spreads too easily and is treated as a weed, so check before planting.
What do the September birth flowers mean?
The meanings come from the Victorian language of flowers, and its dictionaries rarely matched one another. The table compares Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (London, 1884) with the readings The Old Farmer's Almanac gives today.
| Flower | In Greenaway, 1884 | Common reading today |
|---|---|---|
| China aster | "Variety" | Love, wisdom, patience |
| Michaelmas daisy | "Afterthought"; also "Farewell" | (not separated today) |
| Aster, purple | (not listed) | Wisdom |
| Aster, white | (not listed) | Innocence |
| Aster, red | (not listed) | Devotion |
| Aster, pink | (not listed) | Love and kindness |
| Morning glory | "Affectation" | Affection; love, returned or not |
| Morning glory, blue | (not listed) | Enduring love |
| Morning glory, white | (not listed) | Purity |
The gap between the columns is wide this month. The Victorian book saw the aster as a pleasant afterthought of the season and the morning glory as a show-off. Modern lists are warmer, and they lean on the plants' habits: asters wait until fall to bloom, hence patience; a morning glory flower is gone by afternoon, hence love that is brief or unreturned.
A few stories go with them. In Greek myth asters grew from the tears of the goddess Astraea. A revolution in Hungary after the First World War is known as the Aster Revolution, because its supporters wore the flowers. The Almanac names the aster as the flower for a 20th wedding anniversary.
These are customs. They say something pleasant about a date and nothing about the person born on it.
Are morning glories and asters safe around pets and children?
- Morning glory. The ASPCA lists morning glory as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. The seeds are toxic if eaten. Keep seed packets locked away, and remove seed pods where children or pets could reach them.
- Asters. The ASPCA lists the China aster as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses.
Do not use either flower on food. If a child or a pet swallows morning glory seeds, call a doctor, a poison control center or a veterinarian.
How to give September's birth flowers
- A bouquet. Asters are plentiful in early fall and mix well with other late-season flowers. Purple and pink together make a simple bunch.
- A potted aster. Fall asters are sold in bud and can be planted out to return each year.
- Seeds. Each morning glory bloom lasts half a day, so this is a flower to grow, not to cut. A packet of seed suits a gardener with a fence or trellis and no small children or pets.
- A drawing, print or tattoo design. The aster is drawn as a star of many narrow rays around a small center. The morning glory is drawn as a flared trumpet seen from the side or front, with a five-pointed star in its throat, heart-shaped leaves and a curling stem.
- With the stone. September's birthstone is sapphire, and blue morning glories or blue-purple asters match it. See our September birthstone page.
How to grow asters and morning glories
- Fall asters. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Pinch the stems back in spring for a bushier plant and later flowers, and leave space between plants for air to move.
- Morning glories. Sow seed where the plants are to grow, in full sun, beside a trellis, fence or strings. The vines climb by twining and need no tying.
- Cut asters. Trim the stems, use a clean vase, and change the water every few days.
Next in the calendar: October's marigold and cosmos. Before it: August's gladiolus and poppy.