Amsonia hubrichtii

2017 – Hubricht’s Bluestar

This beautiful clump forming, herbaceous perennial has many noteworthy characteristics making it an excellent choice as a green ribbon native plant.  It is a member of the Dogbane plant family or Apocynaceae.  One trait expressed by members of this family is a milky/latex sap.  Due to this, A. hubrichtii is not preferred by deer.  It is known for its elegant powdery blue star shaped flowers which grow in clusters at the ends of the stems.  These delicate flowers make an appearance in late spring around April and last until the end of May sometimes even longer.  The foliage is another notable characteristic.  These thin, filamentous leaves grow along the stem in an alternate fashion.  They are a beautiful green during the growing season and turn to a stunning yellow during the fall.  This foliage can bring nice texture and color to any garden.

Native to south-central United States Amsonia hubrichtii can grow to about 3 feet tall and spreads 2-3 feet at maturity. This plant is ideal for many different garden situations and is very low maintenance.  It performs best in well drained, rich soil but can tolerate a wide range of conditions.  A. hubrichtii produces the best fall color in full sun however blooms may persist longer if given some afternoon shade. It is also notable that Amsonia is the preferred nectar source for Mourning Cloaks and other early butterflies. Sometimes the plant may grow too tall and flop over.  In order to prevent this, it is recommended that you cut back the stems about a 1/3 after its done blooming.