Baptisia (False Indigo)
at Digging Dog

Including Baptisia australis var. minor

Baptisia

False Indigo

Distinguished by their stately postures, these long-lived Legume family members grow wild in the eastern and southern regions of this country. A handsome mass of leaflets grouped in threes and erect, branching stems hosts showy spires adorned with small, sweet-pealike blooms. Later, large brownish black, papery seed pods form, which bring captivating visual accents, and even rattling sounds to arrangements. Easily cultivated in well drained sites, Baptisias tolerate poor, sandy soils and some drought, but resent having their roots disturbed.

Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight’   

With as many as 40 to 50 glowing, 18 in. flower spikes staged beyond the gray-green trifoliate foliage, ‘Carolina Moonlight’ inherits the best traits of each parent.

Rob Gardner from the N.C. Botanical Gardens introduced this Baptisia sphaerocarpa and Baptisia alba hybrid that forms a dense, rounded, bushy anchor for the upright pealike blooms colored in soft buttery yellows. Long-lived and unfazed by heat or drought, it delivers a cheery lift to a tough spot and can be planted alongside Persicaria ‘Superba’.

Blooms June–July.

Size: 3'–4' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 4.

Baptisia Carolina Moonlight (p-1369)
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Baptisia australis var. minor   

Dwarf Wild Blue Indigo

Softly colored racemes laden with lavender-blue, sweet-pealike flowers sway well above a compact assemblage of rounded blue-green leaves. Displaying a stance and foliage about one half the size of Baptisia australis, this superb variety’s nearly 2 ft. tall blooms are unparalleled. Later, large brownish black, papery seed pods form, which bring captivating visual accents, and even rattling sounds to arrangements.

Blooms mid-April–early May.

Size: 15"–2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.

Baptisia australis var. minor (p-0922)
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Baptisia sphaerocarpa   

Yellow Wild Indigo

Inspiring its namesake and unique to the species, marble-sized tan seed pods extend the extravagant, sunshine-bright floral show. Pure yellow upstanding flower spikes, a whooping 12 to 15 in. long, illuminate the tidy blue-green mound of clover-shaped foliage and erect stems.

A deer resistant American native populating roadsides and prairies from Missouri to Arkansas, this undemanding beauty can easily enlighten any spot in your garden, and due to a very deep taproot, proves indispensable where soils are dry.

Blooms late April–May.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Baptisia sphaerocarpa (p-1370)
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Baptisia x bicolor ‘Starlite’   

Twinkling like stars, a sky full of lupine-like periwinkle-blue flowers are set aglow by creamy white bases, known as keels. The deep violet-lavender buds populate numerous 2 ft. tall bicolored spires rising above blue-tinged oval leaflets on gently arching stems. Bred by Dr. Jim Ault from the Chicago Botanical Gardens, this robust australis and bracteata cross is a medium-sized, soft-hued perennial that can be paired with Centaurea 'Purple Heart' for an engaging medley. (ppaf)

Blooms May–June.

Size: 3'–4' high x 3'–4' wide; hardy to zone 4.

AVAILABLE APRIL 2008

Baptisia x bicolor Starlite (P-1438)
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Baptisia x variicolor ‘Twilite’   

Hosting some 100 bicolored flowering stems in just 3 years time, this Dr. Jim Ault cross between australis and spaerocarpa exudes vitality galore. The attractive, bushy blue-green pedestal hoists 32 in. tall spikes studded with umpteen dark coppery purple blooms enhanced by lemon yellow keels. Splendid in bud with bright green calyxes and buttery tips, and later infused with violet as the blossoms age, ‘Twilite’s unique floral hues make a toasty counterpoint to its cool-toned foliage that looks neat all season. (ppaf)

Blooms late May–June

Size: 5' high x 4'–5' wide; hardy to zone 4.

AVAILABLE APRIL 2008

Baptisia x variicolor Twilite (P-1439)
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