This southeastern U.S. native is easy to grow and provides ornamental interest for most of the growing season.  An herbaceous perennial, blue flowers emerge in late spring atop foliage which remains green throughout the summer and then turns a beautiful bright yellow in the fall.  In our garden, to maximize its bloom period, we include four different species and cultivars with slightly overlapping bloom times.  Our earliest blooms can be seen on Amsonia montana in late April and our latest on Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ in early June. The first to bloom, Amsonia montana, is a compact 1-1.5 feet tall with pale blue flowers and elliptical willow-like leaves. The second to bloom in our gardens is the species Amsonia tabernaemontana. It grows 2-3 feet tall and has slightly narrower leaves than Amsonia montana. Just a week later, Amsonia hubricktii comes into bloom. This species is unique for its fine, thread-like foliage and grows 2-3 feet tall. Last to bloom is Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ which is a May blooming cultivar with the deepest blue color in bud and flower. It’s a strong, compact plant at 1-1.5 feet tall. Plants thrive in full sun –those grown in part shade, especially the taller species, may need staking or to be cut back 1/3 after bloom to keep from toppling.