• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
Blue-Indigo.jpg

Blue Indigo

I’ve long admired the delicate flowers that sprout up around our Cincinnati, Ohio home each year. The plant appears at the first sign of warm weather and grows rapidly before dying back in fall. I call it a “pea bush” because the blooms and leaves remind me of the peas from my mom’s garden. Can you tell me its real name?

You’re close. This blooming beauty, Blue indigo (Baptisia australis), is a member of the pea family. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide and prefers full to part sun and well-drained soils. Like other members of the pea family it is able to capture and use nitrogen from the air and tolerates soils with low fertility. The dried seed pods turn black and make a great addition to dried flower arrangements and the winter garden.

Related

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


July 24, 2025
Ladies Night Out
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

July 31 - August 10, 2025
Wisconsin State Fair
We Energies' Energy Park
West Allis, WI

Sept. 4, 2025
FREE WEBINAR
Fall Landscape Planting & Care
Register here


WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win

The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide  

ENTER NOW