Verdant Venture Fringed Blue Star (Amsonia ciliata var. tenuifolia 'Verdant Venture')
am-SO-nee-ah sil-ee-AY-tah variety ten-yew-ih-FOE-lee-ah 'Verdant Venture'
Deciduous Perennial Upright, Clump-forming in the Apocynaceae Family
Buy Verdant Venture Fringed Blue Star
Size
Notes
Price
Availability
A compact fringed bluestar bred at the Chicago Botanic Garden for a smaller, tidier footprint.
Amsonia ciliata var. tenuifolia 'Verdant Venture' was selected by Dr. Jim Ault through the Chicagoland Grows® program (a Chicago Botanic Garden/Morton Arboretum partnership), chosen in 2013 for its compact, uniform habit. Narrow leaves and thin stems carry short, broad powder-blue petals from early-to-mid May through early June. It reaches about 21" tall and 37" wide by year six, growing to roughly 28" tall and 55" wide at full maturity, with bright yellow fall color. Unlike the straight species, it's documented as tolerating conditions from dry to wet once established.
Pros
Compact, tidy habit bred specifically for smaller gardens
Tolerates a wider moisture range than the straight species
Bright yellow fall color
Deer resistant
Cons
Slow to establish, single spring bloom only
Sources vary slightly on cold hardiness (zone 4-8 per the patent, 5-9 per other sources)
Plant Data
Mature Size
24 - 28 inches
tall. 24 - 60 inches
wide.
Sun Exposure
Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance
Medium
Zones
4a - 9b
(Usually hardy to -30° F)
Tags
Attracts Butterflies, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Edging, Fall Color, Formal Garden, Full Sun, Good for Accents, Good for Beginners, Good for Borders, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rain Garden, Good for Rock Garden, Low Maintenance, Medium, Medium, Most Popular, Mounded, Nativar, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Potentially Toxic, Prairie Garden, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Thrillers, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Hot Dry Site, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Well-Drained Soil
We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!
Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants
Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.
Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.
Estimated Recipe Cost
The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.
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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.
Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!
No Pricing or Availability Right Now
We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region.
It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.
Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!
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