European Bluestar (Amsonia orientalis)
am-SO-nee-ah or-ee-en-TALL-iss

Deciduous Perennial Mounded, Clump-forming in the Apocynaceae Family
A rare European native bluestar with rich blue-violet spring flowers, a tidy clumping habit, and golden fall color -- an easy, nearly pest-free perennial that is also a living conservation story for a species now scarce in the wild.

Amsonia orientalis, the European or Grecian bluestar, is a horticultural rarity within its genus: while nearly every other Amsonia is native to North America, this one hails from the meadows and woodland edges of European Turkey (with historical Greek populations now believed lost). It shares the family's star-shaped, five-petaled flowers, but its blue-violet blooms are borne in noticeably larger, longer-lasting clusters than most of its American cousins.

In the garden it forms a neat, upright, tightly clumping mound, more compact than large American species like A. hubrichtii or A. tabernaemontana, which makes it a good fit for smaller borders. Because it is difficult to source outside specialty and native-plant nurseries, growing it is also a small act of conservation: the species is considered rare and threatened in its native range due to habitat loss and over-collection.

Pros

  • Showy blue-violet flower clusters, larger than most American bluestars
  • Compact, tidy habit fits small gardens
  • Deer/rabbit resistant, drought-tolerant, no serious pests

Cons

  • Hard to source; sold mainly by specialty nurseries
  • Milky sap can irritate skin; mildly toxic if ingested
  • Slow to establish (2+ years to full flowering)
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 36 inches tall. 18 - 36 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 5a - 9b (Usually hardy to -20° 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, 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
Bloom Period May-July
Flower Color Blue
Foliage Color Green
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2023 : 06/21 - 06/25

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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.


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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.

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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!