Amsonia hubrichtii

Amsonia hubrichtii or Arkansas bluestar was the 2011 Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year.  This is a perennial that looks good almost all year round.  It has light blue terminal flowers in mid to late spring, bright green foliage with beautiful texture, and turns a golden yellow in the fall.  What’s not to like!  It performs best in full sun.  A. hubrichtii is a low maintenance plant but it is best to cut it back by about 1/3  after blooming in order to prevent flopping in late summer.  It is a member of the dogbane family whose members have a milky, latex sap that is unpalatable to deer and other mammals.

For more information, see the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder page on A. hubrichtii.