Amsonia 'Blue Ice'

Eastern Blue Star Apocynaceae

A rather good Amsonia for people who like their Blue Stars blue, compact and actually inclined to stay where they were planted. ‘Blue Ice’ was discovered in a seedling block at White Flower Farm in Connecticut, initially thought to be a hybrid and subsequently distributed as a particularly choice form. Its parentage has long been debated; it is now increasingly regarded as a selection of the Eurasian Amsonia orientalis, rather than the A. tabernaemontana hybrid it was once assumed to be. 

The attraction is obvious: a handsome mound of narrow, willow-like dark-green leaves, topped in late spring and early summer by clusters of unusually deep blue, star-shaped flowers. More compact than many Amsonias, it is considerably less prone to flopping and makes an excellent front-of-border plant. The foliage earns its keep after flowering, turning a splendid buttery yellow to gold in autumn. 

Long-lived, unfussy and drought tolerant once established. A little slow to get moving initially — but good things, as they say, come to those who wait.

H4 –10 to –15°C
Height: 35–45 cm
Spread: 45–60 cm
Flowers: May–June
Soil: Moist but well drained; tolerates drier soils once established
Aspect: Sun or light shade