The Arkansas Bluestar, otherwise known as the Amsonia Hubrichtii or Narrowleaf Bluestar, Narrowleaf Blue Star, Hubricht’s Blue Star, Hubricht’s Bluestar, Narrow Leaf Blue Star, Arkansas Amsonia, Arkansas Bluebell, is a well known perennial plant native to the Southeast, and the Southwest of the United States.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its light green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Arkansas Bluestar is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Arkansas Bluestar Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
The basic care guidelines you need to remember for your Arkansas Bluestar are the following:
- Water: The Arkansas Bluestar prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
- Light: Keep your Amsonia Hubrichtii in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Arkansas Bluestar in moist but well-drained soil, made from clay, loam, chalk and sand.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Arkansas Bluestar this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Arkansas Bluestar belongs to the Apocynaceae family, the genus Amsonia and the species Hubrichtii, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Amsonia Hubrichtii (am-SO-nee-uh hew-BRIK-tee-eye).
As with other Amsonia’s, the Arkansas Bluestar is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Arkansas Bluestar is a plant native to the Arkansas to Oklahoma. This is why the Amsonia Hubrichtii is used to growing in specific regions such as the states in Southeast, and the Southwest of the United States.
Knowing your plants’ native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Arkansas Bluestar. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Amsonia Hubrichtii will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Arkansas Bluestar is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Arkansas Bluestar are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Amsonia Hubrichtii can grow up to 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) and 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm).
Which is why this plant is considered a relatively medium size for a perennial, so it’s best to keep that in mind since it will likely impact where you want it to be placed.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 24″ – 36″ (60cm – 90cm) free so the Arkansas Bluestar can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the Arkansas Bluestar is a fairly simple plant to take care of. This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Amsonia Hubrichtii prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep the soil of the Arkansas Bluestar moist but well-drained as these are the right conditions for this plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally wet properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Arkansas Bluestar then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test.
To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in the soil of your plant and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Arkansas Bluestar needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Arkansas Bluestar prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally wet properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Arkansas Bluestar requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Placement
In terms of light and exposure, the Arkansas Bluestar, requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Amsonia Hubrichtii in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Arkansas Bluestar will die back to the ground every year. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), the summer (early), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Arkansas Bluestar to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring). In particular, this perennial is well known for its showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Arkansas Bluestar produces some beautiful blue, or blue and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Arkansas Bluestar have a beautiful light green color during most of the year. In particular, they have a needles arrangement with an alternate organization in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Arkansas Bluestar is well known for being able to attract butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Amsonia Hubrichtii will be fine.
Garden
Does your Arkansas Bluestar have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Amsonia Hubrichtii owners agree that this perennial will look great in most rustic gardens of all types. Other owners consider that they compliment well most gardens of informal and cottage, gravel and rock garden, and in prairie and meadow styles.
In particular, the Arkansas Bluestar’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders; others use it for landscaping in a container, border, or a mass planting.
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Arkansas Bluestar to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
