Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

3-6'

 

Flower Color

Blue

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Blue Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

Perennial Border

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Butterflies

Blue false indigo is an upright perennial which typically grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, with a mound of clover-like, bluish-green leaves that densely cover green stems. Spring-blooming, purple, lupine-like flowers form in erect racemes atop flower spikes extending well above the foliage. Flowers give way to seed pods which turn charcoal black when ripe and the stems with the pods make interesting additions to flower arrangements. Common name refers to the use of this as a substitute, albeit an inferior one, for true indigo (genus Indigofera of the West Indies) in making blue dyes. The smaller western form, Baptisia australis var. minor, is a mid-west native which typically grows to about 1/2 the size of the species. Both are very slow to establish.

Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade, though best growth is in full sun. Tolerates drought and poor soils. Over time, plants develop slowly expanding clumps with deep and extensive root systems, and should not be disturbed once established. May be grown from seed, but takes several years to establish. Plants tend to get a bit floppy, and so trimming a bit after flowering will keep it tidier, though in doing so you'll lose the interesting seed pods.