Garden tip: Arkansas Amsonia (Amsonia hubrichtii)

Arkansas Amsonia (Amsonia hubrichtii) was discovered in central Arkansas in the 1940s and proved to be a great asset to home landscapes. This plant creates a fine textured, fluffy mound about 3 to 4 feet high and wide. It thrives in full sun, moist conditions and great drainage, and may get considerably larger when in the perfect location. It can take part-shade, but give it too much shade and the branches may flop. It also can take dry conditions. In April and May, there are clusters of small, light blue, star-shaped flowers at the end of each stem. Each fall, the feathery green foliage turns a bright shade of wheat-gold, which is a dramatic contrast to many plants, especially those with bold, russet leaves.

This is one of the many, many Southeastern native plants that you can find at Bluestems & Bluejeans Native Plant Sale at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 5. Come discover plants that are native to the Southeastern U.S., important food and nesting sources for birds and pollinating insects, and look beautiful. Browse the entire list of available plants at botgarden.uga.edu.