Blue Indigo

Learning Download: How to Grow Baptisia

Baptisia, also Blue Indigo or False Indigo, is an excellent option for beginning gardeners because it is an easy-to-care for perennial. Although it is a perennial flower, the dense leaves can give it a shrub-like appearance, which makes it an excellent landscape filler.

Before Planting: Baptisia does best when grown in well-drained soils in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. Be sure to select a spot in your garden where you known Baptisia is going to stay because it doesn’t transplant well.

Planting: It is best to plant fresh seeds, but it planting hardened seeds, store in the refrigerator for 6 to 10 weeks before planting. Then, scarify the seeds by wearing them down with sandpaper or cutting them slightly with a knife and then soak the seeds in water for 24 hours and begin them indoors.

Watering: Be sure to keep the soil moist.

Fertilizer: Use a balanced fertilizer in the spring and some supplemental fertilizing in the summer.

Days to Maturity: Baptisia will begin to bloom mid-April and will last until fall.

Harvesting: Baptisia foliage, along with its blooms, can make for great contrast and add a different height when arranged in bouquets.

Tips: Never add lime to your soil near Baptisia since it prefers slightly acidic soil to grow in.