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Aristea ecklonii 'Sonja' (Blue Stars) - A robust form of the species, which is a hardy herbaceous perennial resembling a giant Sisyrinchium, composed of fans of long, bright green blade-like leaves. Flower stalks to 2 1/2 feet tall hold clusters of three to four star-like bright blue flowers that have purple stamens.
Plant in full sun or light shade in a rich, evenly moist, well-draining soil and protect from hard frosts but is cold hardy to 20 degrees F. A nice plant in the garden but mature plants do not transplant well.
Aristea ecklonii is native to central and southern Africa from South Africa north to Cameroon and Tanzania. The genus name is either derived from the Latin word 'arista' meaning "awn" or from the Greek word 'aristeides' meaning "the best" and the specific epithet honors the Danish apothecary, traveler, and plant collector Christian Ecklon (1795-1868), born in Denmark.
The cultivar 'Sonja' was initially propagated by us from seed received from Seedco and we grew and sold this plant starting in 1998 but discontinued growing it in 2007 when we started growing the smaller Aristea ecklonii 'Little John'.
This information about Aristea ecklonii 'Sonja' displayed on this web page is based on research we have conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations we have made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how our crops have performed in containers in the nursery field. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.
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