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.
