Baptisia x 'Twilite'

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zone 4-7, 36-42" x 24-36", full sun to part shade, bicolor pea-like blooms of dark, purply-blue with a yellow keel appear in late spring along tall wands. The foliage has a bluish green cast and the attractive shape and structure of many in the pea family. Once established, its moisture and fertility requirements are moderate to low and it does not want too much of anything. As a deep-rooted, nitrogen-fixer it is quite self-sufficient.

Common names: False Indigo, Rattlepod, Rattlebush, Bush Pea

Family: Fabaceae

Origin/Distribution: This is a cross from the Prairieblues series and is a patented cultivar.

There are numerous wild species of Baptisia that are indigenous to the mid and southwestern United States. There is also one in Maine, Baptisia tinctoria.

Habitat: Baptisias are found along borders with a sunny aspect, like tree lines, and also in open places such as meadows and fields.

More: Both the flower spikes and foliage of Baptisias are excellent bouquet ingredients. Its long taproot makes it slow to establish and it won't like being moved or divided. A long-lived, shrubby, architectural perennial.

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credits: American Meadows