You're welcome to scatter and hope, if you like, I won't take any offense to it if that's what you're worried about!

As for the growing instructions, I didn't include growing instructions for the bonus seeds I sent since I didn't know what I would be giving everyone until the very end, at which point I didn't have the time to research/print instructions. I don't know much about asters, these are the first that I've ever had (and I've only had them part of one growing season), but I would wager that they are pretty easy to grow. The wild type is probably an easy self-sowing type and thus, the description of them being weed-like. Personally, I think they are beautiful. I bought three of them to go around my Veteran's Honor rose bush because the combination was just stunning when I held them together at the nursery. I'm really looking forward to seeing them bloom in-ground this year (I just hope they get enough sun where they are at to do okay). I like that they are a cut flower, too, so I'm hoping that I can make some pretty flower arrangements with them this fall. I'll bet they're even good as stand-alone bunches, without any other flower type, though they would provide a great backdrop to any white, red, hot pink, or yellow flower, IMO.

I hope you'll let me know what you find out if you do keep track of the future generations of seedlings, I'm curious if they hold onto their parents characteristics or if they do their own thing. I might give some consideration to adding some white asters to the bunch, interspersed between my purple asters. It would be neat to see the offspring from those, if I do. I'm not sure I want to get into hybridizing asters, though, LoL!

DnD I had a couple of white wild asters over 6 ft tall this fall Half shade with full afternoon sun ,at the edge of a Patio (concrete ) Bees love them to no end , So do small Butterflies

I sent those to Littlecheryl ,, Not Rick ,, oops Smooth Blue aster , Think somebody else got those also , ? Like the White aster a real erratic germination pattern ,

@jimard8 I got the Aster Smooth Blue.

Ahh, Jim, yes. I didn't grab any of those

Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

DnD, I also want to respect the plant. It went to all the trouble of making the best seeds it could, so I want to plant them in a way that will work if I do it right.

I'm also thinking that I might put any seedlings into pots so I could move them around, find sunny spots not yet in use, or even give some away if too many seedlings survive my seed-starting care. Maybe I should "spring-winter-sow" some clumps in cells from a 72-cell prop tray, then break up and up-pot the clumps to 4" pots (2 liter soda bottle bottoms) and give a bunch away. If they bloom with any variety, and the recipients let me collect seeds, I might get some diverging genetic variety.

BTW, if I plant asters together in my yard, I would try to get different species in the same bed, to decrease cross pollination by insects. That was my plan with salvias, before a neighbor moved and the new neighbor repossessed that land the bed was on. (Or keep some asters in pots and remove all except the interesting ones, then let those pollinate themselves under a tent.)

It also looks like some "asters" are in the genus Symphyotrichum and would never cross with asters in the genus Aster.

Rick .
Symphyotrichum
Tall aster
Little leaved Aster
Big leaved aster
Tall Aster
Calico aster
Tansy aster
Narrow leaved Prairie Aster
Cultivars of White, Blue ,Pink , and Red Leaf Cultivar
To name a few

So I get an email from a nursery that they have 3 free seed packs. I go to only get the three....I came home with a total of 10!! Burped seeds were 50% off they needed a new home
2 turnip purple top white globe
Beans, top notch golden wax
Pansy clear crystal black
Tomato super sweet 100
Bean, pinto
Canterbury bells mix
Marigold golden Goliath
Nasturtium empress of India
Sunflower apricot twist.
And a new hand shovel. I bent the old one last year. My defense is I got more milk jugs!

Littlecheryl said:Burped seeds were 50% off

Tee-hee, that should be their new nickname!
(I likely would've picked some up, too. Maybe that means I need to stay away from the local nurseries, Lowe's, HD, etc...for the time being. I'm REALLY bad at passing up deals on plants and seeds.)

Littlecheryl said:
2 turnip purple top white globe
Beans, top notch golden wax
Pansy clear crystal black
Tomato super sweet 100
Bean, pinto
Canterbury bells mix
Marigold golden Goliath
Nasturtium empress of India
Sunflower apricot twist.
And a new hand shovel. I bent the old one last year. My defense is I got more milk jugs!

Sounds like you got a great collection!

I am going to watch for the seed rack at Marsh this year , Burpee ,,

Planted some Night &Day Snapdragon , and White Anemone Today , Going to try the Lupine and Swiss Giant Pansy tomorrow if I can ,, I have seen the Pansy blooming here in February ,

II have an Iris and Daffodil coming up outside ,, very strange ,,,

That Sprout outside that is tiny is still alive after below zero Temperatures ,, In the spring a few things drowned but anything alive now will mostly be then ,,All in All , a very mild January ,
Weather stays like this and lettuce I can grow , ooohhh Goooooood

my collection has grown so much! I've so far not duplicated something that I didn't have. But I emailed my spreadsheet to my self to access on my phone just in case. There was a couple of close calls

Lol cheryl... I adore you! I've missed ya'll lately. Friday my water main busted and it's been bedlam ever since. They finally got it fixed today. Just in time to do a little winter sowing. Now that felt good. I got salvia, phlox, diascia, Snapdragons, daylilies and geum ws'd. Woop woop! I had a smile the entire time. There's more to do tomorrow. Can't wait. I keep staying away from seed sites. I want my queen red lime and dreamland zinnias. I made a promise to not get anymore seeds. But I can't lie, I'm getting weak.

@KarenHolt....stay away from me then!!! I would bring you to the dark side!! having no restraints! Sorry about the main break hopefully it didn't cause too much damage

After I posted my husband saw some hummingbird from Brazil on fb. He told me if I could get more birds in the yard I could plant even more flowers! He said heck, you can make the entire yard a garden! I just smiled and said, that's what I'm working on honey.... maybe I'll get those seeds after all.

Nice! Glad he's on board with it. Eventually everyone comes to love and appreciate the benefits of a garden.

DnD , The thing sometimes ,,, "You have Bluebirds or Hummingbirds " ? people see and say that with such surprise sometimes ,
I do not want to get into the thing about I have seen two Hummingbirds and a Hawk most say do not exist or info is no place except older Higher learning books ,
I have been around a while but I still see what I see ,
A time worn Naturalist , my nature ,,

Ah, I have already seen a cardinal this week. It was hopping around the fire pit. I think spring will be early this year for us. The skies are already getting darker later. 6pm instead of 5. That never happens until march. Would be nice. I'm ready to plant.