code: 787
This plant gets better with age
Family: Apocynaceae
Common name: Threadleaf bluestar. Arkansas blue star
Minimum Height: 30 cm
Maximum Height: 90 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 8
Delicate, willow-like foliage is topped with beautiful, pale powder-blue star-shaped flowers in spring, the light green foliage looking good all summer long before turning a beautiful golden-yellow in autumn, even standing right through most of the winter. This plant gets better with age (unlike us) and doesn’t shine until a few years old.
Sowing advice:
For best results, sow seeds immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. However, we sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, and often wait for spring before emerging regardless of when they are sown. But spring sowing will obviously give them a full season of growth if successful germination occurs.
Information:
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Powdery blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best fall foliage color usually occurs in full sun, but flowers generally last longer if given some afternoon shade in hot sun areas. Stems tend to open up and flop in too much shade, however. Consider cutting back the stems by about 6″ after flowering to help keep stems upright and to shape plants into a nice foliage mound.
Garden Uses
Borders, rock gardens, native plant garden, cottage garden or open woodland area. Best when massed.
