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Theblue indigo flora – Baptisia australis [ bap - TEE - zee - uh aw - STRAL - iss ] is an herbaceous hardy repeated blossom and a member of the pea family Fabaceae , along with theperennial sweet pea vine .
It was the Perennial Plant Association ’s 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year .
It grows naturally in thickets , rich woods , and along the banks of flow in the southeastern United States .
Its genus name is derived from the Greek , bapto , which means to dye .
The specific epithet , australis , means southerly .
The plant ’s common name , Blue False Indigo , is a cite to the use of this plant as a substitute for true indigo plant to make blue dye .
You may also hear the plant referred to as :
Other kind admit :
Blue Indigo Plant Care
Size & Growth
This just perennial has a height and spread of about 3′ – 4′ feet .
Mature plant produce racemes add up an additional 12″ – 24″ column inch to their stature .
The foliage is blue - green and looks more or less like trefoil .
The trifoliate leave-taking are dark blue - William Green to light yellow - green in color .
The leaf develop so dense they have a shrub - similar appearance .
Flowering & Fragrance
Do n’t ask Baptisia to flower the first season .
It can take as recollective as 3 years for the plants to get on and produce flower .
Blue Wild Indigo peak appear from May through June in the second year .
They closely resemble the blossoms of lupin , pea plant plants , and sweet pea .
Attracts butterflies and pollinator .
Indigo sorry flowers ( pea - comparable flowers ) appear on marvelous spikes high above the foliage .
Flower spikes stay in bloom for about 6 week during the previous spring and other summer .
The bloom passage into big seed pods and then become late black when they are ripe .
They ’re adorable when added to dry heyday arrangements .
They are also quite interesting because the seeds rattle inside the pod .
At one meter , these seed pods were used as children ’s rattles .
Bloom sentence : April , May , June , and July .
Light & Temperature
This plant does best in full Dominicus to partial refinement .
The industrial plant is wintertime audacious in USDA hardiness geographical zone 3 – 9 .
Watering & Feeding
These drought - broad plants require piddling watering .
They ’re very low upkeep and need fertilizing every year in early spring .
Soil & Transplanting
Blue False Indigo does very well in all sorts of inferior dirt .
It can thrive in shallow , bouldery , ironical , and the Great Compromiser dirt but prefer temperate soil moisture best .
Baptisia has a very deep taproot , allowing it to survive long ironical periods but realise it a challenge to move .
Grooming & Maintenance
Once Baptisia is established , it will necessitate little or no care .
If you grow False Indigo in a shady location , the works may stretch and become leggy , requiring the demand for accompaniment .
Deadhead flowersor shear the flowers back when blooming is complete .
This will encourage more blossoms and also patronage the plant to maintain a more attractive and rounded appearance after the flowers have give way .
Some gardeners opt to allow Blue Wild Indigo to go to seed because the pod are quite attractive .
How To Propagate Baptisia australis
It ’s best to allow your plant to reseed itself .
If you do need to embark on a brand - fresh Wild Indigo patch , it ’s crucial to note wise seeds germinate more cursorily and easily than dried seeds .
When gathering your own Baptisia seeds , canvass them cautiously for tiny holes .
There is a type of weevil that manducate holes in the seed of the plant .
If you find seeds with hole in them , throw them away because they will not burgeon forth .
Baptisia also propagates by using fore cuttings .
generation by division is not recommended because the works ’s ancestor system of rules may extend as far as 12′ feet into the ground .
establish False Indigo can take a farsighted time , but once it ’s established do n’t disturb it .
Blue False Indigo Pest or Disease Problems
These natural wildflowers are not bothered by diseases or insects as long as you provide a bright cheery circumstance and do not overwater .
The plants produce alkaloid , which naturally repel most insect pestilence .
If you do see caterpillars on these plant , let them because they ’re probably beneficial butterfly stroke cat .
Voles do sometimes course on Baptisia etymon , but since the root system is so all-embracing and so deep , small damage occurs .
Is Baptisia Toxic or Poisonous?
Some plants in the same genus are toxic , so it ’s best to avoid consume the flora .
False Indigo has some uses in Native American folk medicine .
It was brewed as tea for use as a purgative , emetic or to intercept regorge .
Pounded source were used as a plaster to trim fervour .
Is Baptisia Invasive?
As a native works in the United States , Baptisia australis can not be considered invasive in the US ; however , it is hardy and full-bodied .
Once prove , the plant spreads smartly and is hard to exterminate due to its thick , traveling root system .
Minimize spread by deadheading to prevent ejaculate dispersion .
Suggested Uses for Blue Wild Indigo
Blue False Indigo is a consummate choice for naturalizing .
It ’s quite helpful when planted in areas troubled by erosion because of its extensive and cryptical root system .
Plant it in a garden , an open field or meadow , a prairie , bungalow garden , or in borders .
The flower were once used as indigo but now are only viewed as good garden plant life .
The attractive blue - green foliage represent as a backdrop for blossom industrial plant in late summer .
