Blue false Indigo flowers are arranged on an upright spike that can tower at least 12 inches over the foliage, and bloom for up to three weeks. (Photo by Ginny Rosenkranz)
Blue false Indigo or Baptisia australis is a lovely herbaceous perennial plant that waits until the spring warms the earth before emerging with a large clump of soft colored blue green clover like leaves in May.
Each leaf is made of three leaflets, and each leaflet can grow 2 inches long with smooth edges.
These trifoliate leaves are arranged on the stems in an alternate fashion, and the plants can grow up to 3-6 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.
Once the leaves have emerged, the plant concentrates on creating the beautiful blue-purple flowers.
Each I-inch flower has four or five petals that are fused together to form a heart shape and attract lots of butterflies and other pollinators to feast on the nectar.
These beautiful flowers are arranged on an upright spike that towers at least 12 inches over the foliage, and bloom for up to three weeks.
The flowers can be cut for bouquets to enjoy indoors or left to enjoy on the plants.
After the flowers finish blooming the seed pods begin to emerge as small balloons that puff up with a sharp tip at the top.
They mature into 2- to-3-inch-long pods that ripen from green to black and contain lots of loose seeds.
These decorative pods can be left on the plants to add color and texture to the garden throughout the summer and into the fall and winter or can be cut to add to flower arrangements or to share with children as a rattle.
Baptisia can be planted as a wonderful background plant, and it prefers to have full sun and well-drained soil.
These long-lived perennials develop a strong taproot and do not transplant well after becoming established.
They can be used in cottage gardens, native meadows, a butterfly garden or as a boarder, planted as a specimen or in small groups.
Their lovely purple blue flowers complement other flowers in shades of white or yellow.
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)
