Amsonia tabernaemontana (Eastern Bluestar)

Size: 2-3’ tall / 2-3’ wide

Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil: Average, Well-Drained, Adaptable

Bloom Time: Spring - Summer

Deer Resistance: 4.5/5

Ecotype: Unknown

I must confess-- this is the only species of Amsonia with a native range in Virginia, and that range is the southeastern Piedmont and coast-- not the ridge and valley. However, my fondness for this plant is so much that I made an exception to grow it. Eastern Bluestar really is one of my all-time favorite perennials in the garden. 

I lovingly refer to Eastern Bluestar as the "gardener's ketchup" due to its adaptable and complimentary nature. It can handle a wide range of conditions and provides multi-season interest. In the spring, it blooms beautiful light blue flowers; the stems continue to grow after flowering, and the leaves provide an airy, feathery backdrop for other perennials throughout the summer; and in the fall, the leaves turn a magnificent golden yellow and the whole plant radiates in the landscape. It takes a few years to mature, but once established, it is a long-lived, reliable perennial with little to no maintenance needs. If I was limited to a single plant to grow in my yard, this would be it.

Amsonia is in the same family as Milkweeds (Apocynaceae, or Dogbane), and like Milkweeds, it produces a milky sap when the leaves or stems are broken. This sap makes it unpalatable to rabbits and deer, and I have yet to see Amsonia bothered by either. The flowers attract bees and some butterflies, and it is one of the host plants for the Snowberry Clearwing, or the "Hummingbird Moth" as most people know it. 

When someone needs a plant for a tough spot in their yard, I regularly find myself recommending Amsonia tabernaemontanta.