'Halfway to Arkansas' bluestar grows to about 2-3 feet high and wide, forming a thick clump over time. Performance is sensitive to sunlight; flowers appear to be retained longer in afternoon shade, but full sun enhances bloom quantity overall. Prune back after flowering to retaining a pleasing rounded clump form. Its Latin name of 'ciliata' means hairy and refers to the downy fringe present on the needle-like leaves. The leaves turn yellow in the fall for a pleasing effect.

Members of the genus Amsonia are commonly known as bluestars for the abundant small blue flowers borne in clusters at the stem tips in late spring or early summer. The foliage ranges from threadlike to willow-like and looks attractive throughout the growing season with the bonus of good to outstanding yellow to gold fall color. Species may vary in plant size from a ground cover sized 5 inches to an almost shrub sized 4 feet. Bluestars are considered easy-to-grow, long-lived perennials tolerant of many soil types.

Most amsonia are native to North America, but a few of the 22 species hail from Europe or Asia. The Chicago Botanic Garden's collection includes over 20 varieties and more than 3,5000 individual plants. A number of these varieties have been evaluated for their performance in our region; Plant Evaluation Notes can be found on the Garden's website. The genus was named for Dr. Charles Amson, an 18th century American colonist.