Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars) Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars) — 9cm / 0.5L
Blue Stars (Blue-eyed Iris)

Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars)

£6.99 £7.99 SAVE 12%
Protect from hard frostSun-lovingEvergreenLoved by pollinators
Pot size
9cm / 0.5L £6.99

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Description

The Aristea ecklonii, known as Blue Stars or the blue-eyed iris, is a jewel-like member of the iris family from southern Africa. It forms neat clumps of erect, sword-shaped evergreen leaves, and in summer throws up loosely branched sprays studded with short-lived, saucer-shaped flowers of the purest star-bright blue. Few perennials deliver a blue this intense, and each sunny morning brings a fresh flush of blooms.

This is a sun-lover for mild gardens. Rated RHS H3, it is tender across most of the UK and reliably hardy only in the mildest, most sheltered or coastal spots, where it comes through winter down to around 0C. Grown in a pot it is easily moved under cover for the coldest months, and even where it needs protection the evergreen fans hold year-round structure. See our hardy exotics, what to expect guide for how tender exotics behave through the seasons.

Water freely through the first summer to establish, then keep it just moist in growth and drier in winter, as it resents sitting wet. Its love of sharp drainage and shelter makes it a natural for coastal gardens, a sunny gravel bed, or the front of an exotic border. It is equally happy in a container on the patio, which doubles as the easiest way to move it under glass for winter. The nectar-rich blue flowers are a magnet for bees, earning it a place among our plants for pollinators.

Browse the rest of our hardy exotics range to build a full sub-tropical scheme. Every Aristea we send out is nursery-grown, selected for a healthy crown and strong roots, and packed with care to arrive in top condition.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Blue Stars (Blue-eyed Iris)

Plant me in full sun and protect me when hard frost threatens.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Blue Stars (Blue-eyed Iris)

Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars) needs full sun and moist but well-drained soil. It is half-hardy to around −5°C and needs protection from hard frost.

Good for

Coastal & Exposed Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H3 · Semi-hardy · down to around −5°C

protect over winter except in frost-free coastal gardens.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingSheltered

full sun in a warm, sheltered, south-facing spot, tolerating only light shade.

Soil

LoamMoist but well-drainedAcid pHNeutral pH

free-draining, humus-rich loam on the neutral to acid side, never waterlogged in winter.

Watering

Water regularly through the first summer to settle the roots in, then keep just moist in active growth and much drier through winter. It resents root disturbance, so plant carefully and lift or divide only when you really need to, ideally in spring. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first summer to settle the roots in, then keep just moist in active growth and much drier through winter. It resents root disturbance, so plant carefully and lift or divide only when you really need to, ideally in spring.

Mature size

Height0.5-1 m
Spread0.1-0.5 m

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Jun-Jul · Blue

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Remove the spent blue flower stems once flowering finishes and clear old or damaged leaves from the evergreen clump in spring.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets and generally considered non-toxic. In mild, frost-free gardens it can self-seed freely, so remove spent flower spikes if you want to limit its spread.

Native range

C. & S. Africa

Family

Iridaceae

Also known as

Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars)

Genus

Aristea
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aristea ecklonii hardy in the UK?

Aristea ecklonii is rated RHS H3, so it is tender in most of the UK and reliably hardy only in mild, sheltered or coastal gardens where temperatures stay near or above 0C. In colder gardens grow it in a pot that can be moved under cover for winter, or give it a dry mulch and fleece. It is one of our plants for coastal gardens.

Where is the best place to plant Aristea ecklonii?

Give it full sun in a warm, sheltered, south-facing position with free-draining, humus-rich loam. It flowers best in sun but will cope with light shade. The sharp drainage and shelter it enjoys make it ideal for a sunny gravel bed or the front of an exotic border.

How long do the flowers of Aristea ecklonii last?

Each saucer-shaped blue flower is short-lived and usually opens for a single sunny day, but the loosely branched spikes carry many buds, so a well-grown plant gives a fresh flush of blooms over several weeks in summer. The nectar-rich flowers are loved by bees, which is why it features in our plants for pollinators.

Can I grow Aristea ecklonii in a pot?

Yes, container growing suits it well and is the easiest way to protect it over winter. Use a free-draining, loam-based compost with added grit, water freely in summer, and keep it much drier and frost-free in winter. See more of our plants for pots and containers.

Is Aristea ecklonii evergreen?

Yes, it is an evergreen, clump-forming perennial that holds its erect, sword-shaped leaves through the year in mild gardens. That evergreen structure is a bonus among the more seasonal plants in our hardy exotics range. For a guide to how tender exotics look across the seasons, read hardy exotics, what to expect.

Is Aristea ecklonii toxic to pets?

There is no reported toxicity for Aristea ecklonii and it is generally considered non-toxic to people and pets. As with any plant, it is sensible to discourage pets from chewing the leaves. Note that in mild, frost-free gardens it can self-seed freely, so remove spent flower spikes if you want to keep it in check.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Aristea ecklonii (Blue Stars)
£6.99 £7.99