perennial
Arkansas bluestar
Amsonia hubrichtii
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Arkansas bluestar is a slow-growing perennial hardy in zones 5–9. Expect 2–3 ft of height and 3 ft of spread; our lists space it 3 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect blue flowers in April to May. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Amsonia hubrichtii
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Adapts to clay and sand; drought tolerant once established.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 3 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Apr–May · blue
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, modern, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Not on the ASPCA list; milky sap is irritating. Marked toxic as a precaution.
- Native to
- South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $15–$25 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer until roots establish, then only during long dry spells.
- Pruning
- Shear by a third after bloom in shade to keep upright; cut down in late winter.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Arkansas bluestar, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
- Southern shield fernThelypteris kunthiifern · zones 7–10
- Red yuccaHesperaloe parviflorasucculent · zones 6–11
- Texas sedgeCarex texensisornamental grass · zones 7–9
- Turk's capMalvaviscus arboreus var. drummondiiperennial · zones 8–10
- FrogfruitPhyla nodifloragroundcover · zones 8–11
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Arkansas bluestar: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants