I have to own up to liking a lot of genetic tinkering. I have apples tinkered to produce fruit in Southern California's Sunset-19 climate and roses that have big flowers that bloom all year 'round. Neither of those could have happened without plant breeders playing around with the genetics of the breeds.

Maybe it wasn't molecular level genetic engineering, but it was genetic modification all the same.

Sent by Lauren Uroff | 11:34 AM ET | 10-15-2007

I don't think much of altered plants.

1: The potential danger of creating another aggressive species to invade natural areas (which, from what I've seen, may not often be a problem... such plants are often weaker than the originals)

2: Why do "they" want everything to look like "Roses" (or Mums:)?

Hollyhocks are a good example...the double-flower versions don't look like Hollyhocks! Who would want that?

I have the same thoughts about your Aster example. I have 8 or 9 species of native Aster...blue, white, purple, lavender...and all looking beautifully like Asters!

Why not just buy a Mum ..or a Rose?

Sent by Bob Vaiden | 12:00 PM ET | 10-15-2007

I am a big fan of plain old flowers. The purple road side aster are one of my favorites and the one I have been able to coax into the yard are doing very well with little care.My experience with heavily grafted trees or highly hybrid plants is they often fail.
Some of this may have to do with gardening in the high dessert.
However I agree with Bob on this issue.

Sent by maggie | 1:35 PM ET | 10-15-2007

i'm currently reading 'flower confidantial' by amy stewart. very frightening, the tinkering they're doing in the cut flower trade!!

Sent by susan white | 7:47 PM ET | 10-15-2007

when viewing catalogs or on-line pics of blue flowers, always check the foliage and background color. If the blue has been tweaked up, those areas that should have yellow, won't. A more skeptical eye when looking a blue flower is valuable.

Sent by Pat | 1:48 PM ET | 10-17-2007

I think of myself as a bit of a purist when it comes to flowers. I prefer natives in their natural form. But there are very few of those available from nurseries for planting in the tamed garden. Even nurseries selling native plants rarely sell them in their wild phenotype. There is almost always some amount of tinkering, whether to enhance robustness, color, or form. (aster may be an exception.) But we have to remember that many of the modern garden's plants have been altered significantly from their wild form. Think tight tea roses, gigantic sun flowers, double daffodils and green-white variegated hostas, etc. I've seen a lot of electrically blue asters in the wild. I'm not sure it would take a lot of tinkering to get the yellow center to disappear and achieve a more compact form. Are we biased because this is a new variety?

Sent by Christine4nier | 10:16 AM ET | 10-18-2007

Very little genetic tinkering. I like to garden for wildlife, so native plants are generally best. But I will plant non-native non-invasive plants if local wildlife likes them. As for the aster that looks like a mum, I get a little sad looking at it. I don't see the yellow center so I don't see how the plant reproduce sexually, attract pollinators, produce seed (which some wildlife may eat), etc. So it makes me sad because the plant has been selected only to attract human attention. What gardener doesn't want butterflies, bees, or birds around? We already put so many pressures on the environment, so I would like to encourage gardeners to modify their tastes a bit for the benefit of their local ecology.

Sent by Brian Basden | 12:20 PM ET | 10-19-2007

I like a plain species aster for the pollinators. Double flowers make getting at the nectar and pollen much harder if it even produces much.

Sent by Gloria | 1:34 PM ET | 10-19-2007

I have the soft green & purple aster.

Sent by Yugo Tan | 5:58 PM ET | 01-15-2008

They're really great flowers! I bought a package from the dollar store that had seeds for bluish-purple, pink, and white henry III's. What an amazing suprize to seem them bloom!

Sent by Pat | 1:28 PM ET | 09-03-2008