Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo)

General info: Baptisia australis, commonly called blue wild indigo, is a North American native perennial that thrives in dry to medium well drained soil in part shade to full sun. Plant this native perennial in any area with full sun and dry poor soils. Blue wild indigo takes time to establish but once established forms slowly expanding upright clumps with a shrubby appearance. Once established this perennial has an extensive root system. Baptisia australis is typically found growing in woods and thickets along eastern United States. All Baptisia’s are adorned with vertical blooms and blueish green circular foliage.

Landscape uses: Baptisia australis grows well in poor dry soil in full sun. Making this native perennial a great choice for dry areas intolerable to other species. Its upright shrubby appearance and circular foliage is a very attractive texture for a meadow or cottage garden. Secondly this Baptisia has distinctive blueish purple blooms. As a result, this species attracts lots of native pollinators including butterflies to your project. The blooms and seed pods also make for very attractive cut flower and dried flower arrangements. You could add wild blue indigo to any native wildflower garden or pollinator garden. In conclusion, this species will add good structure, texture, and a nice pop of color.