Blue Ice is a compact blue star with plump navy blue buds that open to vivid periwinkle blue, star-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer. The blooms are larger than those of most blue stars and gather in clusters at the tips of the stems.
The bright green foliage forms a dense, shrub-like mound that spreads slowly and turns a rich yellow in fall, giving it two seasons of interest. At 12 to 16 inches tall, it suits the front of a border and mass plantings, and deer leave it alone.
What it looks like
Clusters of star-shaped flowers about 1 inch across with five narrow, pointed petals in vivid periwinkle blue, opening from plump, dark navy blue buds, held at the ends of each stem. Leaves are narrow, lance-shaped, bright green and smooth, densely lining the stems. The plant is a compact, rounded, shrub-like mound 12 to 16 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom the mound is capped with periwinkle stars mixed with navy buds; in fall the foliage turns golden yellow.
Growing it with lavender
Blue Ice prefers a bit more consistent moisture than lavender, so plant it at the moister edge of a sunny border, where its periwinkle stars bloom just ahead of lavender and its golden fall color follows it.
Care
Grow in full sun to part shade in average soil with regular moisture; it tolerates poorer soil. Hardy in USDA zones 3-9. After flowering, trim stems back lightly to keep the mound dense; it rarely needs dividing.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Amsonia
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Flower color: Periwinkle blue from navy buds
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Foliage: Bright green, golden yellow in fall
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Growth habit: Compact, rounded, shrub-like mound
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Mature size: 12–16 in tall × 18–24 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Late-May
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Peak bloom: Early-June
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.