This Willow Bluestar is native to Missouri to Illinois to New Jersey and southward into Texas & Florida in woods and along riverbanks. It gets its common name from the 5 pale blue petals borne in clusters in late April to early June. My biggest customer has one planted in a bed in part shade and she has me cut the plant down half way in later June after blooming to keep it more compact and not have stems leaning over. It can be left just alone as a big clump that does not need resetting and dividing, but it can be occasionally divided and reset if wanted.The one I have in my backyard I have never cut down and it does fine standing up. When one cuts the stems, it bleeds white milky sap like a milkweed. It is in the Dogbane Family with Dogbane that also does bleed milky sap. It is an easy, low maintenance perennial. It is sold by most native plant nurseries and by a good number of conventional, classic nurseries also. I see it occasionally planted in gardens and landscapes in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.

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A good garden plant for many reasons: blue flowers, fall color, hardy, and care free.
This plant has good germination wintersown.

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A very reliable garden plant.

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Bluestar is a beautiful plant for spring flowers, summer foliage, and fall color. Its dense terminal clusters of pale, steel blue, star-shaped flowers appear in late spring and resemble very fine garden phlox heads.

Grown in sun, Bluestar forms a full clump 3 or more feet in height but when grown in the shade, plants are taller and less dense. Summer foliage is willowy and medium green, and fall color is a good rich gold. Give this plant average to good soil. It is long-lived, trouble-free and makes an effective background plant in the garden.

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