It all started with a text message back in February. My friend and colleague Thomas Rainer was reaching out to ask if I had ever been plant exploring in Arkansas. He was keen to see Amsonia hubrichtii in the wild.
So, who is Thomas Rainer, and what plant is worth traveling from Washington, DC for him—or Nacogdoches, TX for me—just to see in the wild? Thomas is no stranger to the plant world. He and his coauthor Claudia West had helped galvanize the naturalistic planting movement with their book Planting in a Post-wild World. Now, they are business partners and integrate horticulture and ecology into their designs at Phyto Studio.
And, for the plant, Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas bluestar, thread-leaf bluestar, Hubricht’s bluestar) is beloved in the horticulture industry for its starry blue flowers that appear on top of the softest textured plant ever. Seriously, I just want to hug the feathery round-mound anytime I see it. And, then in the fall the foliage turns a brilliant caramel yellow. This species grows well in practically any garden situation minus deep shade or a flooded pond. And, while it thrives in many parts of the eastern half of the country, Arkansas bluestar is native to only 20 or so counties in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Thomas wasn’t alone in wondering about this species. Amsonia hubrichtii had been on my mind this past year. I had been struggling with Arkansas bluestar here in Texas. In conversations with others here in the lone star state, the bluestar didn’t seem to quite like something. I know we are hotter than the Lurie Garden in Chicago, IL where it is massed and the John W. Nason texture garden at The Scott Arboretum in Swarthmore, PA where it provides soft billowy edge to paths. But, are we really that much hotter than Arkansas? I lacked the in situ knowledge, of seeing where it grew in the wild, and I suspected there was more to the situation.
So, we started planning a trip to see where Amsonia hubrichtii grew. I reached out to local plant enthusiast Eric Hunt. He is a member of the Arkansas Native Plant Society who I had conversed with on social media in the past about Arkansas flora. He had photos on Flickr of Amsonia hubrichtii blooming wild in the Ouachita mountains. We decided that late April into early May would likely be the best time to see Arkansas bluestar in flower, and we picked a weekend that best fit our schedules.