Native Plant Spotlight: Narrow-Leaf Blue Star

One of the countless benefits of adding native perennials to your garden is that many of them are low maintenance. After all, they are meant to grow in this region, so once you establish the plant in your garden, very little effort is required to ensure thriving and happy foliage and flowers. Several native plants are what we would call “low maintenance,” including the Narrow-Leaf Blue Star plant. This plant grows densely and has narrow, ferny foliage throughout the season. Soft blue star-shaped flowers bloom in clusters from late spring to early summer.

 

Color Through the Seasons

Narrow-Leaf Blue Star plants are most easily recognized by their flowers that also give the plants their name. These flowers grow in clusters along the stalk of the plant, but they warrant closer inspection. If you look closely at the flower clusters, you’ll see that each individual flower is a delicate, five-pointed star. Before the flowers bloom in late spring or early summer, the narrow leaves are a vibrant green, but they don’t only offer color in spring and summer. In the fall, the foliage turns a beautiful harvest gold.

 

Planting and Growing Tips

Narrow-Leaf Blue Star is a relatively low-maintenance plant, but it does require the right growing conditions. This plant can grow in full sun to partial shade, but the flowers and foliage will reach their best color and density in full sun. The plant prefers to grow in moist conditions, so you should avoid letting the soil dry out. To keep the soil around Narrow-Leaf Blue Star plants moist, you can apply a thick mulch around the root zone during the growing season.

This plant will grow slowly, but can last up to 20 years in ideal conditions. Narrow-Leaf Blue Star is not particular when it comes to soil pH, but does not tolerate urban pollution, and so is unlikely to do well in streetside plantings.

 

Landscaping Suggestions

Because of its unique flowers and fine, fern-like foliage, Narrow-Leaf Blue Star is a popular plant to add to landscaping. The plants bring a delicate texture to garden composition. When the flowers are in bloom, large clusters of this plant are particularly striking. There really is no bad place to add Narrow-Leaf Blue Star to a garden, but it is particularly effective as border edging and for naturalizing gardens to achieve a “woodland” appearance. The flowers are also excellent for cutting and look beautiful on their own or as part of varied arrangements.

 

Native Plants from Studley’s Flower Gardens

At Studley’s, we offer a wide variety of native plants to add to your gardens. With everything from flowers to shrubs to trees, we can help you create your ideal garden. Our team is always available to answer your questions and recommend plants based on your garden conditions, tastes, and skill level. Visit us today or use our online Plant Finder tool to explore and learn more about native plants.