Highlights from the Garden

Today I am going to focus on one plant in my garden. This is Baptisia australis, or false blue indigo. It is a herbaceous perennial that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet across. This is an Eastern American native that is well adapted to this climate. Once established this is a hardy, carefree plant. Be warned though: Baptisia australis does not like to be transplanted, so make sure you will like it where you plant it. This perennial likes dry to medium-dry soil and partial to full sun.

The pea-like blooms open in May to June.

This is the plant in mid August. This particular perennial was planted 9 years ago. I strongly recommend a plant support for this plant as the long stems can flop over. Underneath all this foliage is a grid-like grow-through plant support that anchors in the ground. Put the support in place in early spring while the plant is still rather small. As the name states, the plant then grows up through the support.

You can see how large this plant is. Baptisia australis also will self-seed and thus spread.

The foliage is a nice blue-green.

After the flowers fade, seed pods appear, turning from green to black as the season progresses. These seed pods remain on the plant all season and will rattle in the wind or when disturbed. Who knew black seed pods could look so nice?

I do hope you will consider giving this plant a try in your own garden.