General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 12 - 16 inches
Plant Spread: 18 - 24 inches
Leaves: Good fall color
Other: Best fall foliage color usually occurs in full sun, but flowers generally last longer if given some afternoon shade in hot sun areas. Narrow, willow-shaped, dark green foliage turns an attractive bright yellow in fall.
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Blue
Other: Dark lavender blue; vivid periwinkle blue. Navy blue buds.
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Uses: Cut Flower
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Blue Star

Photo Gallery
Location: My garden Blue Ice Fall Color
Date: 2022-09-28
Amsonia
Location: Willow Valley Communities Lakes Campus,Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Date: 2023-05-27
Location: West border
Date: June
Location: Willow Valley Communities, Lakes Campus, Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Date: 2023-05-21
Location: Western Washington
Location: Medina, TN
Date: 2013-02-23
Amsonia 'Blue Ice' is an excellent garden plant. It blooms early,
Location: Eagle Bay, New York
Date: 2022-06-15
Blue Star (Amsonia 'Blue Ice') buds and blooms up close
Location: Southeastern NH
Date: 2011-06-20
Blooming Mid June in My Garden
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2017-06-16
Location: Clinton, Michigan 49236
Date: 2017-10-29
Amsonia 'Blue Ice', 2017, [Blue Star], am-SO-nee-uh, 12-18in #Per
Location: Eagle Bay, New York
Date: 2021-06-28
Blue Star (Amsonia 'Blue Ice')
Location: Eagle Bay, New York
Date: 2022-06-09
Blue Star (Amsonia 'Blue Ice') buds
Location: Reading, Pennsylvania
Date: 2023-05-31
a small mass at the Reading Museum in bloom
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2017-06-16
Location: West border
Date: May 2015
Location: Clinton, Michigan 49236
Date: 2017-10-29
Amsonia 'Blue Ice', 2017, [Blue Star], am-SO-nee-uh, 12-18in #Per
Location: Eagle Bay, New York
Date: 2022-06-15
Blue Star (Amsonia 'Blue Ice') leaves, buds and opening blooms
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2012-03-22
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2011-06-13
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2017-06-16

Courtesy Crownsville Nursery
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-22
two plants close together in a border in bloom
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-10
flowers and foliage
Location: Kalama, Wa.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Kalama, Wa.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Medina, TN
Date: 2013-02-23
Amsonia 'Blue Ice' is absolutely awesome!

 Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Photo by clintbrown
Photo by clintbrown
Photo by robertduval14
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2012-03-22
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2017-06-16

Photo Courtesy of Lazy S'S Farm Nursery.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: West border
Date: June
Blue Ice and Tiny Monster are either hugging or duking it out!
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-10
two plants in bloom in a border
Location: my garden, Zone 7A, NC
Date: 2011-04-25

Image Courtesy of Bloomin Designs Nursery Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-30
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Cyclaminist (Minneapolis, Minnesota - Zone 5a) on May 30, 2023 11:41 AM concerning plant:
    Sometimes said to be an exceptional specimen of the US native, Amsonia tabernaemontana, discovered in a New England nursery, but George Coombs of the Mt Cuba Center reports that they grow the Blue Ice cultivar next to Amsonia orientalis (native to Turkey) in their Amsonia test beds and they bloom at the same time, have the same growth habit, get the same disease in the summer time that no other Amsonia gets, so they are very likely the same species. Link to the exact part of the YouTube video where he was interviewed below. Plant Delights Nursery similarly reports that a "paternity test" (not sure what that means; some sort of DNA comparison?) reveals it to be A. orientalis. This is useful information if someone is thinking of planting it in a native garden to support insects; it might not be as useful for local pollinators or plant-eating insects as one of the native species of Amsonia.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Feb 14, 2018 1:47 PM concerning plant:
    Sold at some larger, diverse conventional or mail order nurseries. Not common. Very nice, easy perennial.
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Dec 3, 2013 5:19 AM concerning plant:
    'Blue Ice' is a shorter and more compact form of 'Bluestar'. It has darker blue buds and flowers, a dense growth habit and good yellow fall color. It does best in full sun or light shade with average soil. A long lived perennial.
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MissMew On August 14, 2020 Obtained plant
2 more. Suzanne NVK
MissMew On July 19, 2018 Transplanted
Moved from back path east to back west
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vendor pot to ground
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