Amsonia 'Arkansas Bluestar'

This is Amsonia hubrichtti, ‘Arkansas Bluestar,’ and it’s a terrific perennial for Southern gardens.  In the spring, it produces mounds of billowy, willow-like foliage topped by star-shaped blue blossoms.  In summer, the foliage is light green.  What you’re seeing here is the golden-yellow color that you’ll get in fall.   Even in the winter, the plants are long-lasting and attractive.  Don’t worry if you plant this one and it looks a bit scraggly at first.  It grows fuller and more beautiful after the first year or so.

Give this bluestar full sun to partial shade and average, well-drained soil.  You won’t have to give it much care, and the deer won’t eat it up!
For more about Georgia Gold Medal winning plants, please visit Georgia Gold Medal Plants

cheers,

Lynn

blue Summer Snapdragon angelonia brightens any garden spot

Did you know that North Georgia was once the site of a gold rush?  You can’t make a fortune in the mines there anymore, but you can strike gold in your own backyard when you use the 2009 Georgia Gold Medal winners in your garden.

Gold Medal winners are plants that have won the approval of the State Botanical Garden (SBG) in Athens, GA.  They’re recommended for Southern landscapoes because they’re easy to grow and attractive in more than one season.  Here’s what Connie Cottingham, of the SBG,  told me about them:

“Recent rains have given gardeners new hope – is this the year we’ve been waiting for, the year we can celebrate and plant instead of doing our best to just keep our plants alive?  We’ve matured lately, realizing we cannot waste water. However, using common sense with water doesn’t mean we cannot have beautiful gardens. I like the concept of creating most of the garden so that it needs very little supplemental water once established, yet allowing ourselves a few indulgences that take more water and attention. Proper plant location, planting, and mulching conserve resources in the garden, reducing the need of water, chemicals, and maintenance time.

Plant choices are also key in conserving resources in the garden. The Georgia Gold Medal program can help homeowners in these plant choices. Every year for sixteen years, a committee comprised of horticulture professionals, county Extension agents and UGA faculty has chosen the annual Georgia Gold Medal winners:  easy to find, easy-care plants, many with multi-seasonal interest that are proven performers in our state. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens is headquarters for the Georgia Gold Medal Program, coordinating plant nominations and publicity.

With sixteen years of named winners and several categories of plants named each year, homeowners can find a large selection of beautiful plants to use when designing their landscapes.”

The 2009 Georgia Gold Medal winners are:

• Angelonia angustifolia – Summer Snapdragon, Angelonia
• Perennial: Amsonia hubrichtii – Arkansas Bluestar, Arkansas Amsonia
• Vine: Clematis armandii – Armand Clematis
• Shrub: Osmanthus fragrans – Fragrant Tea Olive
• Tree: Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’ PP #10328 – Lavender Twist Redbud

These plants are real beauties—take a look at this Angelonia.  Then check my blog again later today.  I’ll have more Gold Medal winner photos to share with you!

cheers,

Lynn