Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Amsonia "Georgia Pancake"

This year it made a seedpod that is in the top center of the pic, could be a selfing or a cross with one of two other species in the garden.  Cant wait to grow the seeds out either way.


This is one really cool plant, I got it from Plant Delights by specifically asking for it when I didn't see it for sale during one of their open houses.  It is the only prostrate growing Amsonia, and it can make quite a large carpet of fine foliage as I saw in the nursery display gardens.  Its one of those plants a plant geek has to have, and I'm pleased that it has been hardy for about three winters up here in NY.  Critters ignore it, and it does have modest but attractive flowers in spring, not quite as showy as some of its upright cousins, but pretty enough.  It can be rooted from cuttings, and is a slow grower so its not one of those plants you will ever see in the big box stores (horrors!).  But after a couple of years it becomes a lovely soft carpet of foliage.  I planted it in a special raised bed in the school garden where it gets good drainage and good sunshine. 
It is probably a new species, and is found as far as I know in one place in Georgia, so it won't be long before it ends up on the Endangered Species list, which makes shipping it across state lines problematic.  Some folks say it is just a prostrate form of A. ciliata, in which case it won't end up on the "List" but either way the cat is out of the bag and I think it will be well established in several gardens before it even gets an official scientific name, so its future is safe in horticulture at least.

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