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Perennial · Fabaceae Draft — unreviewed

Blue false indigo

Baptisia australis (L.) R.Br.

Also called blue false indigo, blue wild indigo.

Long-lived, shrub-sized native perennial with indigo pea flowers in late spring and blue-green foliage all season.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft) tall and 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft) wide; slow growth, about 4 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #1 install size.

00.511.52mPlanting0.3 × 0.3 mYear 30.5 × 0.5 mYear 100.8 × 0.8 mMature1.1 × 1.1 m

Bloom

Indigo blue flowers, May–Jun (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Blue false indigo : May–Jun

Design notes

  • Deep-rooted: slow to establish, then very drought-tolerant; do not divide or move.
  • Flops in shade or rich soil — use a peony ring.

Regions

Native range: Eastern and central U.S..

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

NortheastSoutheast

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium · Perennial · 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft)
Eastern red columbine
Aquilegia canadensis · Perennial · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias incarnata · Perennial · 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft)
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Little Joe Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium dubium 'Little Joe' · Perennial · 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft)
American alumroot
Heuchera americana · Perennial · 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft)

Plan with Blue false indigo

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden