I have this plant I could trade and another Amsonia as well please look at my wish list and send me what you can trade. I could add some iris to the pack for you as well if you want to go for a bigger trade. I am looking for named hosta if that helps, and I know they grow like a weed up there.

If you have another host plant nearby that has the rust fungi, then it can be spread by splashing water or rain, rust is worse when weather is moist. The rust spores are usually spread by wind and can travel several miles. Amsonia tabernaemontana is particularly susceptible to rust infection and you may need to apply a specific fungicide in the spring to control it. Check the label for one that is specifically formulated for rust control. Begin spraying when new growth appears and repeat 5-6 times at 7-10 day intervals. Some Horticulturists recommend removing infected plant parts as soon as the symptoms appear, others recommend waiting until frost and then remove the stems and clean the entire area of all plant parts, disposing of the debris well away from the garden (sealed plastic bag in the local landfill)? You might also check any Cedars, Junipers & Hawthorns in your garden, to see if they have a rust infection. Those are the most likely hosts for rust fungi, but it can infect many other species of plants. The rust fungi probably won't cause any major damage to the plants, it is just an unsightly disease. :Good luck!

I'll weigh in with my opinion. A hubrichtii deals with drought better, but the flowers are less quality and lesser duration/quantity, but superior foliage (fineness and autumn color...but not every year). Slower growing. A illustris (my favorite) is a much stronger (and taller) grower, doubles easily as an annual shrub reaching 5 1/2 feet when mature. Foliage remains shiny crisp all season, requires more water than hubrichtii, but deals well with drought when established. Autumn color is usually yellow...probably as dependably as hubrichtii. Flowers over a longer period, due to a proclivity to take a second flush of growth about two or three weeks after the last flowers fade...and bloom again on that. I can't say I tried tabernae montana, but a botanical gardens testing (don't recall where/which) backed up my opinions as well on the above too. As to bloom, I usually got a tiny bit of bloom on 2nd year plants, fair bloom on 3rd, etc. They're not 'quick' plants to bulk up...but sure look good when they do...something like baptisia. This post was edited by dbarron on Sat, Oct 4, 14 at 19:28

I don't cut back the stems. I wait until spring, and do my clean-up then. Bonnie, are you a registered member here? I'm trying to figure out why some people don't have a 'My Page'? Your name is black and your email is showing, instead of your name in blue and a 'My Page' in parentheses. I suppose, if you want your email to show, it could still show, but I don't understand why your name is black and not blue? You have no profile page that someone can click on. I believe it's called hotlinked when your name and your email or your 'My Page' are linked together.