Amsonia hubrichtii
Hubricht's Narrow Leaf Bluestar
Item #: 759
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Amsonia hubrichtii is a North American native perennial plant that was discovered in 1942 in Arkansas by Leslie Hubricht and named in his honor. This species sports some of the narrowest, laciest, most threadlike foliage of any upright bluestar species. Introduced into cultivation by Woodlanders Nursery, this fine southern native is one of the best of the blue stars. The sky blue flowers emerge atop the 3' tall x 6' wide clump when it breaks the ground in April and blooms into May. In autumn, the deciduous golden foliage is stunning...a great fall foliage plant!
Maintenance:
Hubricht's blue star does not need division or resetting, since it tends to get better with each passing year. The ornamental value of the foliage of this species and other Amsonia species ends once it turns brown. The tidy gardener might want to cut the stems to the ground at this point, which is fine, though it can be left all winter with no ill affect. It is best to cut the stems down before new growth starts in spring.
While it will sometime reseed in the garden, we remove the seed before they fall since amsonias are quite promiscuous in the garden and if you have more than one species, you will wind up with a range of hybrids if you let the seed drop.
Garden Conditions:
Amsonia species are often encountered in the wild as woodland plants and they will flower modestly in light shade or part shade, but really perform best in full sun for 4+ hours daily. It is not particular about soils, and can grow fine in both moist and dry soils.
Garden Value:
All Amsonia species are valuable for their early bloom of pure blue flowers.This wonderful species is notable for the fact that its foliage colors up in the fall. It is a display that lasts several weeks as it turns from green to yellow then amber. The very slender leaves provide an attractive contrast to bolder textured plants. Deer usually avoid Amsonia.
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Other Attributes
Genus: Amsonia
Flower Color: Blue
Leaf Color: Green
Bloom Time: Spring
Container Role: Fillers
Garden Themes: Cottage Garden Plants , Green Roofs , Night Gardens , Southwest Garden Plants
Other: Butterfly Attracting Plants , Cut Flower Plants , Deer Resistant Plants , Drought Tolerant Plants , Groundcovers , Pollinator Plants , Medicinal Plants , North American Native Plants , Perennial Plant of the Year , Rabbit Resistant Plants , Rain Garden Plants , Salt Tolerant Seaside Plants , Xeriscaping Plants , United States Native Plants