Southern Star Florida Anise

This is an underrated beauty—find the right spot to put it, and you'll have no trouble getting it to grow. It develops slowly, with no need for pruning, and produces two flushes of quirky little star-shaped blooms, which butterflies adore. This star anise can thrive in sunlight or even deep shade. It is ideal for filling big, shaded spots in a woodland garden. Plus, it's evergreen, with long, beautifully variegated leaves, so it'll look lush and lively year-round. Star anise is a true southern plant. It absolutely needs that hot weather and only grows in zones 8-10. However, a slight chill during winter does a beautiful thing to the leaves of this cultivar—the creamy variegation turns slightly pink and rose. Perfect for marshy gardens—as it's native to Florida swamplands, it needs consistently moist soil. Deer tend to avoid strongly herbal-scented leaves, and as this foliage smells like anise when crushed or brushed, they very rarely bother it. Illicium floridanum 'Southern Star'