Baptisia 'Purple Smoke'
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Tried and True Recommended by 5 Professionals
Common Name: false indigo
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Fabaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Garden Location: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Flower Borders, Jane and Whitney Harris Secret Garden
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Spread: 3 to 4 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Description: Smoky violet
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Wildlife: Attracts Butterflies
Tolerates: Dry Soil, Drought
Uses: Erosion Control

Culture

Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun in acidic, somewhat poor soils. Good drought tolerance. Plant develops a large taproot and is best left undisturbed once established. Plants tend to open up after flowering and may need support as the summer progresses. Foliage may be cut back after flowering to form compact bushy plants which remain attractive for the remainder of the growing season without staking, however the showy seed pods will be lost if this is done. Plants usually take 3 years to establish, but are of easy culture thereafter. This hybrid cultivar will not come true from seed and is best propagated from cuttings.

Noteworthy Characteristics

This false indigo hybrid (B. australis x B. alba) is a shrubby perennial which typically grows 3-4.5' tall. It was discovered as a chance seedling in a trial bed at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in the early 1990s. Features smoky violet, lupine-like flowers (from B. australis) and gray-green, clover-like foliage on charcoal stems (from B. alba). Flowers appear in mid-spring, opening up from bottom to top in erect but slightly arching terminal racemes (to 1' long) which extend well above the foliage. Flowers give way to cylindrical, bean-like seed pods (to 2.5" long) which have good ornamental interest and are sometimes used in dried flower arrangements. Attractive foliage remains effective throughout the growing season. All species of Baptisia are native to the United States. Baptisia australis was used by Native Americans to make blue dyes. The common name of false indigo is in reference to the fact that the dyes made from Baptisia are quite inferior to the dyes derived from the true indigos (genus Indigofera) which usually grow in more tropical areas such as the West Indies.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Plants may need staking or other support, particularly if grown in too much shade.

Garden Uses

Good plant for poor soils in sunny locations. Effective in groups. Prairie or meadow gardens, naturalized areas or borders.

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