"Am-SO-nee-ah hew-BRIK-tee-eye."
That's how you pronounce "Amsonia hubrichtii," the Perennial Plant Association's 2011 perennial plant of the year. Also called the Arkansas Blue Star, thread-leaf blue star, narrow-leaf blue star, Arkansas amsonia or Hubricht's blue star, this hardy perennial is a North American native. The flowers are light blue and star-shaped.
What makes this plant so amazing is its ferny, almost frothy foliage that is bright green in spring and summer before turning a glorious yellow-gold in the fall. PPA likens the foliage to a feather duster, and the fall color is such a great addition to autumn landscape, a perfect foil for sedums and dahlias.
A native to Arkansas and Oklahoma, this species in the Apocynaceae family was discovered by Leslie Hubricht in 1942 growing in Arkansas.
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