AMSONIA ciliata

Description

Amsonia ciliata

Height x Spread: 80cm x 45cm

Commonly known as fringed bluestar it hails from North America.  Beautiful pale blue starry flowers are held in clusters on slender stems with ovate leaves, from late spring to early summer.  An added bonus is its glorious autumnal colour, when its the leaves go purple tinged with yellow, singing out of the late summer border.

This plant is a great asset for a shady area of the garden, but its naturalistic form also looks wonderful planted en mass or drifts within a woodland scheme.  Deer tend to dislike its taste too.  Easy to grow, it prefers a reasonable soil in partial shade.

The genus name Amsonia is in honor of Dr. John Amson, an English amateur botanist who lived and worked in Williamsburg, Virginia during the colonial period.

This plant features in - Rosy's planting plan for a Shady Border