About
Baptisia australis 'Caspian Blue' is a herbaceous perennial that grows to approximately 1 meter in height, developing a dense clump of upright stems. Its foliage consists of three-parted leaflets resembling those of clover. In late spring or early summer, it produces tall clusters of rich violet-blue blooms, which are succeeded by dark gray seed pods.
About the genus
Baptisia are perennial plants characterized by branched stems that support trifoliate leaves. They produce racemes of pea-like flowers either at the ends of the stems or in the leaf axils, which are succeeded by noticeable inflated seed pods.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Prairie planting, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Thrives in deep, well-drained, preferably sandy soil in an open, sunny position. Plants can be slow to establish, and dislike being disturbed, but mature plants have good drought tolerance
- Pruning
- No pruning required, though plants can be trimmed back after flowering to maintain a compact shape, unless seed pods are required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed or by softwood or semi-ripe cuttings. Plants grown from seed may take a few years to flower
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free