Amsonia tabernaemontana | Blue Star

This very pretty perennial was actually selected by the American Horticultural Society as one of the  top 75 great plants for American gardens. Flowering in late spring and into early summer with clusters of the most delicate pastel pale blue star shaped flowers that are borne on tall sturdy stems that stand above the willow shaped foliage that colours up beautifully in autumn to shades of gold.

Absolutely fabulous as a cut flower, and this certainly threatens to become a favourite of ours after growing it for the couple of years. A couple of my photos below, were taken when the flowers were at the end of flowering, so some have really lost their colour, but you can see the paler blue colour at the base of some of the flowers.

A favourite of bees, butterflies and moths due to the nectar.  This is a fantastic garden plant that we have found to be both disease and insect resistant.

Clump forming, this plant slowly increases over time and it can be easily grown in average, medium moisture soils but does need good drainage and once established we have found it to be quite drought tolerant - we mulch the plant to keep the moisture levels up.

It is also tolerant of clay soils and humid conditions, both of which we have at Puriri Lane.  Undemanding this lovely plant is great in the border, cottage gardens and looks simply beautiful when mass planted - this is defiantly a plant that we will be adding to our new cottage garden area. 

As part of its low-maintenance needs, Blue Star doesn’t require much pruning. Deadheading will encourage fresh flowers. Pruning will also help to maintain its shaped.  In autumn after the foliage has coloured up and starts to die back, you can cut it back to about 15cm and from there it will die back over the winter months.

Blue Star plants are quite adaptable when it comes to lighting conditions, thriving in direct sun or partial shade. Exposure to full sun will encourage the colour of the flowers but can be detrimental in hotter climates. If you live in an area with higher temperatures, provide some shade for the Blue Star during the afternoon. 

Just be careful as this plant produces a milky sap which can cause skin irritation so I tend to wear gloves for this reason when cutting it back.

Height up to 60-90cm flower stems with basal foliage around 40cm

Hardy | Winter dormant

Plant size : PB2 :: Equivalent 1.2 litres