General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, loamy soils. Tolerates some drought. When grown in full sun, plants often require no pruning or staking though they tend to lean. When grown in some shade and/or in rich soils, however, plants tend to become more open and floppy and often require staking or pruning. For a neater appearance, particularly for shade-grown plants, consider cutting back stems by 1/2 to 1/3 after flowering to promote bushy growth and, if desired, a more rounded foliage mound.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

This bluestar is a Missouri native plant (a naturally occurring variation) which is most frequently found in thickets and in rich soils near bluffs in the southwestern part of the state. A clump-forming perennial which features terminal, pyramidal clusters of 3/4", soft light blue, star-like flowers with white throats in late spring atop somewhat leaning, leafy stems growing 2-3' tall. Extremely narrow, willow-shaped, dull green foliage may turn attractive shades of yellow in fall. This variation primarily differs from the species by having less erect stems and narrower leaves.