Michaelmas, or the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on 29th September each year. Since it occurs near the equinox, the day is linked with the start of autumn and the shortening of days; in England, it is one of the “quarter days,” when servants were hired, rents were due, or leases began.
Traditionally, a goose was eaten on this day to mark the end of the harvest and to prepare for autumn.
There is a famous Nottingham Goose Fair that still takes place around 3rd October.
One of my favourite plants this time of year is the Michaelmas Daisy, also known as Aster or Symphyotrichum, as many have been renamed by botanists. The renowned Victorian gardener William Robinson called them ‘Starworts’.
I think my love of them partly comes from the large, beautiful clumps we had in our garden where I grew up, as well as the fact that they were called Michaelmas daisies because they flowered at this time of year.
They make a wonderful addition to late summer and autumn gardens and blend well into cottage or modern prairie-style planting, mixing with ornamental grasses and other late-flowering perennials. One I particularly like is Solidago Fireworks, with its arching yellow flowers that beautifully complement blue asters. This Solidago does not spread; you need to be careful with them, and some asters are prone to spreading, taking over a border. Asters are generally easy to look after although the novi-belgii cultivars are prone to powdery mildew.
Two gardens in this area hold national collections of asters: one is Old Court Nursery in Colwall, and the other is Brockamin by the old hills, which is open for the NGS at this time of year. Both are worth visiting for inspiration and for purchasing plants.
Proverb.
“Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day,
Want not for money all the year”
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