About
Baptisia 'Solar Flare', part of the Prairieblues Series, is a herbaceous perennial that develops a compact clump reaching approximately 80 cm in height. Its upright stems support foliage composed of three clover-like leaflets. In late spring to early summer, this plant showcases tall clusters of vivid yellow blooms, which transition to orange and occasionally purple hues as they mature. In the fall, dark grey seed pods emerge, adding interest to the landscape.
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 softwood or semi-ripe cuttings. Hybrid cultivars will not come true from seed
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free