Amsonia

Amsonia, aka ‘Bluestar’

Amsonia has risen from obscurity over the past 10 years to achieve true rock star status of the naturalistic garden. Every year or two another cultivar arrives on the scene to grace our garden designs.

While each variety of amsonia sports slightly different foliage and growth habit, their common feature is a flush of blue inflorescence in late May through mid June here in southern New Hampshire.

Designing with amsonia:

If you can only choose one amsonia, I highly recommend amsonia hubrichtii, also known as threadleaf bluestar (shown at top of this page). While native to central US, this plant thrives here in New England and lends an ethereal airiness and fine texture not to be found in any other perennial.

Blooming in mid-Spring, amsonia hubrichtii weaves through my borders, lending a delicacy and contrast to broader foliage perennials like milkweed, rudbeckia maxima and Joe Pye Weed. Amsonia is the perfect companion to the tall monarda/bee balm like ‘Raspberry Wine’ and ‘Jacob Cline’ that are prone to foliar decline by early August. Plant bee balm behind amsonia to hide the bare knees, allowing the spent seed heads to persist through winter.

Throughout October, hubrichtii’s feathery foliage changes from light green to lime, then yellow, then orange and even bronze/red. Planted above boulder walls it will relax and spill onto the stone surfaces.

The shorter amsonia tabernaemontana ‘Blue Ice’ is a stellar ground cover with broader foliage that also develops to a golden yellow in late fall.

I let all my amsonia stand through winter and cut back in late April once temperatures are in the 50’s.

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