“Any flower this intense a blue must be good for dyes.  It must be indigo!” or so thought early European settlers coming to the Eastern Seacoast and meeting Baptisia australis.  Alas, the plant proved inferior to the real thing as a dye—Blue Indigo or Indigofera sp.  Thus, it acquired its alternate name of False Indigo.  Nonetheless, the intense blue bloom of blue wild Indigo justifies your adding it to your garden, even if you aren’t into textile dying!

Blue wild indigo is found across the upper and Mid-Atlantic seaboard, extending into the Midwest.  It grows well in dry to medium well-drained soil in full sun.  It will tolerate part-shade but does get a bit spindly.  It tends to form in expanding clumps which put down deep roots—thus, its tolerance of drought and poor soils.  However, it’s not a good idea to disturb the plant and its roots once established.  

The plants can get three to four feet tall and spread out a similar length so some folks will trim them after blooming.  This helps keep a more rounded shape but at the expense of removing the seed pods which form.  These fellows are a delight!  The pods can be 2 to 3 inches long, turning a charcoal black.  The seeds are loose in the pod so they make a great rattle.  If you aren’t into that, the cut stems and seed pods can make a striking addition to dried flower arrangements.  Blue wild indigo can be grown from seed, but this is a slow process.  Blooming usually doesn’t occur for several years. 

Baptisia australis is an herbaceous perennial.  It is hardy from Zones 3 to 9 so it should be good to go throughout Minnesota.  It usually blooms during May and June and attracts a number of pollinators, especially butterflies.  It does well as a back border or a naturalizer in prairies or meadows.  It is a tough customer with few insect or disease problems.  It is, however sensitive to juglone, that antisocial chemical secreted by walnut trees, so don’t plant blue indigo around them.  Otherwise, blue wild indigo can be a beautiful, low maintenance addition to your garden.

Photo Credits: Missouri Botanical Garden (1,2)