Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

Purple

 

Flower Season

Spring, Summer

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Tan, White

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Moist, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees, Invasive

Design Styles

Meadow

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Perennial Border, Shrub Border

 

Special Uses

Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Hummingbirds

False indigo is a deciduous shrub that typically grows to 6 to 8 feet tall and, due somewhat to its sprawly habit, with a spread often in excess of its height. Compound, odd-pinnate leaves, oval to elliptic in shape, are dull gray-green. Tubular scented flowers bloom in May and June in dense, spike-shaped clusters up to 8-inches long. Flowers are purple with orange-yellow anthers. Flowers are followed by fruits in small pods which mature in July and August.

Grow in average, well-drained soils in full sun to light shade. Tolerant of occasional flooding. Also tolerates poor, sandy, somewhat dry soils. May spread by self-seeding and/or suckers to form thickets. It is considered weedy/invasive in some parts of its range, so not well suited for our riparian corridor areas. Prune hard to just inches above the ground in late winter to early spring for purposes of improving shrub form.