Amsonia tabernaemontana, Eastern Bluestar (Near Native)

Amsonia tabernaemontana

Eastern Bluestar

• Average to moderately high moisture soils
• Full Sun to very light shade
• 3’ tall 2’ to 3’ wide
• Late Spring Blooms
• Thrives in meadows or open woodland settings. Adapts very well to garden conditions.

With a native range that extends south and west from the state of Virginia, these have been growing well in Ottawa and Perth for the last few years.

Slower than many other perennials to mature, these are correspondingly long lived and can remain in place for years, if not decades. They grow very well in garden settings and in meadows or the sunnier areas in open woodlands. Their spring blooms are quite eye-catching and drew a lot of questions in the spring of 2022, when they were blooming next to my driveway when people were stopping by to pick up seedlings in late May and early June.

Their foliage is not palatable to mammals, including deer and rabbits, but their flowers are attractive to pollen and nectar feeders, including Hummingbirds, Carpenter Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbird Moths.