Soil
These deep rooted perennials require freely draining soil, however will tolerate clay, loam, or sandy substrate so long as drainage is adequate and there’s no standing water.
Whereas it doesn’t require excessive fertility, false indigo will develop quicker and bloom extra abundantly in soil that accommodates some natural matter.
Water
In the course of the first yr, maintain the soil reasonably moist to assist the foundation system change into established.
After that, these crops are extremely drought tolerant and sometimes require no supplemental water except circumstances are extraordinarily dry.
Fertilizer
Resist the urge to fertilize false indigo. Until you’re rising in very poor, sandy soils, these crops is not going to want any extra feeding.
In case you discover poor progress, you possibly can high gown with a number of inches of well-rotted manure or compost in spring and fall.
Cultivars to Choose
Blue false indigo (B. australis) is the species mostly discovered at nurseries and backyard facilities.
Blue False Indigo
This species is a dependable bloomer with deep blue spires and tops out at 4 ft tall and vast.
Yow will discover crops obtainable in #1 containers at Nature Hills Nursery.
There are a number of cultivated varieties value searching for out, together with:
Lemon Meringue
‘Lemon Meringue’ is a yellow-flowering Baptisia hybrid that’s a part of the Decadence® collection. The lemon-colored blooms are held on three-feet-tall, charcoal coloured stems.
‘Lemon Meringue’
This dense and compact cultivar is particularly vigorous and floriferous.
Yow will discover ‘Lemon Meringue’ crops obtainable at Nature Hills Nursery.
Twilite Prairieblues
Twilite Prairieblues™ is a B. australis cultivar, bred by the Chicago Botanic Backyard. It’s extra dense and bushy than the species and grows as much as 5 ft tall and vast.
Twilite Prairieblues
In season, it’s lined with purple and yellow bicolored flowers. You’ll generally see this one listed as ‘Twilight Prairieblues’ or ‘Twilight Prairie Blues.’
Yow will discover crops obtainable at Burpee.
Upkeep
As soon as established, false indigo requires completely no upkeep besides for infrequent watering throughout dry spells.
After flowering, enable the spent blooms to show into stunning, darkish seed pods and don’t be tempted to prune useless stems again till new progress emerges in spring.
Many helpful bugs, together with native bees use useless stems as shelter via winter, and the charcoal coloured pods add texture to the low season backyard.
Propagation
There are two major methods to get false indigo began in your house backyard, one more durable than the opposite.
You possibly can both begin from seed, which takes time and isn’t all the time very straightforward or dependable, or you should purchase nursery begins for transplanting.
Let’s talk about every:
From Seed
Seed might be harvested in the summertime when the seed pods are darkish, agency, and beginning to break up open.
In case you gather seed, you’ll must cold-stratify it for a minimum of eight weeks earlier than sowing.
You are able to do this both by sowing in flats and leaving them outdoors for the winter or placing them within the fridge in a zip-top bag with some moist vermiculite.
To let nature do the chilly stratification for you, fill a flat with moistened potting soil and sow the seeds slightly below the floor. Place the flat outdoors in a brightly lit, sheltered location.
Ideally, the seeds will keep constantly chilly all winter lengthy, so maintain them away from any south-facing partitions that will elevate the temperature an excessive amount of on sunny days.
Make sure the soil stays moist, however not soaking moist. If it freezes, that’s superb, when heat and longer days arrive, the seeds will germinate.