Mindy,

Very pretty.

As a matter of fact, I went and bought the ones that you saw at lowes and posted about them..

Thanks!

well phooey! i missed that post! you know how you feel good when you find out that a post actually helped someone!
best,
mindy

I planted some of this two years ago and have been pleased with it. The flowers are nice and the delicate texture is lovely all summer. My one disappointment with it has been that I really don't get to enjoy the fall color for very long as we often get a freeze too soon after this turns its lovely fall yellow, and then it is just brown-gray.

babs,
very good point for northern new eng.
i can relate, bec i never get the bright gold of the ginkgo leaves (for which i foolishly BOUGHT the darn thing!)
th much,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/

I bought seeds of these this year to winter sow. Does look like to be a gorgeous plant and the leaves will add texture even when out of bloom. Plus, that nice gold color.

Karen

I have some amsonia that I grew from seeds of a small plant that I got from a swap. Don't know which one it is. Mine are still very small and sparse. Hoping for some good growth this next summer. It did turn yellow but don't remember how long.

Mindy, the ginko tree at the MN arboretum turns yellow. I discovered those lovely yellow fan shaped leaves the first fall we lived in St. Louis, MO. We had left the window open when we were at the library. My four year old son and I were surprised and delighted to find them on the seat and floor of the car, a magical moment.

I have one and it is beautiful. I've had it for about 6 years and it STILL seems too small for dividing. It is a very slow grower for me. Would be ideal for a low maintenance garden as it never needs dividing. Beautiful fall color.

gotta, maybe you don't have it in crappy soil in dry spot w/ full sun?
maybe try that?
best,
mindy

mngal,
what a LOVELY story!

sob, i have none of those :(
mindy

Is that what it needs? I'm cursed with rich sandy loam and regular rainfall ;-) Most plants love it but perhaps amsonia doesn't like the neighborhood.

Mindy is right. My A. hubrichtii plants have struggled in my rich, moisture-retentive, part shade soil but my A. tabernaemontanae (I know I'm misspelling these things) have been fabulous--maybe too fabulous--for many years. I have to hack them back after blooming and then often again.

I should have known that a thread-leafed plant was going to want lots of sun and lean, dry soil.

ginny, would you PLEASE truck some of that up here this year???? aw, come onnnn, i'm not that far away.....!!
i'll even give you some crappy soil to take home!
best,
mindy

That looks nice with the black moudry.
I actually had a hard time getting this plant established. I had many seedlings that didn't make it and one purchased plant. Not sure which one finally made it but it took about seven or eight years to bloom and another two to be noticeable in the garden and become something.

Ginny echoes the experience those of us further south have had with A. Hubrichtii. You need lean, poor soil to have it do anything other then flop around on the ground by fall. Not the way one wants to see the foliage no matter how attractive. I've had better luck with it's cousin A. Montana var. Short Stack (available from Plants Delight). This variety also turns a vibrant yellow in the fall, but grows shorter and has fatter leaves that really shine. A great front of the border plant. In spring it has nice steel blue flowers that paired with a strong colored pink Dianthus looks good together. As with most Amsonia it prefers a slightly acid soil so with my neutral to slightly alkaline PH it can display some chlorosis....Maryl

I like it with the Moudry. I have them both, but not next to each other. I just bought Amsonia last year, so it was very small this fall and I didn't notice the color. But I also bought it mainly for that awesome fall show!

"While it is true that they turn golden in the fall, let's not get too carried away with this spectacular thing. Without doubt, they provide excellent color compared to other herbaceous plants, but they certainly don't compare with a maple. Plants are more colorful in the North than the South." - Allan Armitage, University of Georgia (and general perennial guru). ;)

cool, great to have the quote but is it referencing amsonia or ginkgo?
mindy

I have a great spot for it in sandy, unimproved crap soil with full sun. I know it will do well there.

Directly opposite that is a spot that I would like to echo the planting with a few of these. But it's 2/3 of a day of sun, about 10 feet from an oak tree in soil that's decent for a foot, then hardpan clay.

Will it work well in the second condition? I don't think it will.

Mine was slow to establish, and nothing to brag about until year 3, and it definitely isn't as lush as the pics, but it's a good performer nonetheless.

Mine is in clayish soil, and full sun. Great plant. I love the texture and fall color.