Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Sun
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Soil Type: Sand-Loam, Loam, Loam-Clay
Height: 3-4 feet
Spread: 2-3 feet
Blooms: May, June, July
Root: Taproot
Habitat: Rocky Open Woodlands, Gravel Prairies, Rocky banks of rivers.
Landscape uses: Pollinator gardens, Meadow plantings,
Complimentary plants: Butterfly Milkweed, Golden Alexanders, Foxglove Beardtongue
Wildlife Value: Queen bumblebees are the primary pollinators of the flowers, where they feed on nectar primarily. Host Plant: Wild Indigo Duskywing Skipper, Orange Sulphur Butterfly, Frosted Elfin Butterfly (extirpated)
Seed Origin: Garden cultivated seed
Germination Code: C10
Photo credits: #1 by Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, #2 by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
Baptisia australis - Blue Wild Indigo
Like most Baptisia species, Blue Wild Indigo spends its first few years developing its root system. The branching stems and flowers become showier and more developed with each subsequent growing season. Seedlings may have shorter, possibly floppy stems for the first couple of years before taking on a shrubbier appearance. Probably the most familiar and widely used in home gardens, Blue Wild Indigo can provide an early deep blue colour in spring in native plantings where its bushy structure complements summer bloomers.
This plant is not native to Ontario, but a near native. Its range extends in the North Eastern United States, which borders Ontario.