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Baptisia Blue Mound

So perfectly shaped, you will think it was sheared.

The inch-wide dusty violet-blue flowers of this selection are borne above attractive blue green foliage from mid-May into early June (USDA Zone 5). ‘Blue Mound’ develops into and maintains a perfectly uniform mound all summer, which you will think was sheared! It is equally tolerant of acidic and alkaline soils. Developed by crossing the larger, cold-hardy Baptisia australis var. australis with the compact and heat tolerant B. australis var. minor, this vigorous selection is intermediate in size to both parents, but has the heavier blooming of the larger parent and the more uniform, broad-rounded habit and finer foliage of the smaller parent. ‘Blue Mound’ offers the best of both parents!

Who Am I?

  • Common Name:
    Bue Mound false indigo
  • Botanical Name:
    Baptisia australis 'Blue Mound' PP25902
  • Type:
    Perennial
  • U.S. Native:
    YES

Cultural Details

TYPE

Perennial

U.S. NATIVE

YES
  • Light:
    Full sun
  • Soil:
    Moist, but well-drained, fairly adaptable to many soils
  • Moisture:
    Drought tolerant once established
  • Hardiness Zone
    4-9
  • Bloom Time:
    Late spring/early summer
  • Bloom Color:
    Deep blue
  • Fruit Time
    Fall
  • Fruit Color
    Gray
  • Size:
    3' tall by 4' wide
  • Diseases & Pests:
    False indigos exhibit good to excellent disease resistance. A seed weevil will predate the seed, but this does not detract from either plant health or display value. The genista broom moth caterpillar (Uresiphita reversalis) can seriously defoliate plants of Baptisia, but this tends to be more of a problem in warmer climes.

What Makes Me Special?

A dense mound of cornflower blue flowers held on strong stems make it the perfect front to middle of the border perennial.

Landscape Use

Borders, foundations, mass plantings, matrix plantings, naturalized gardens, commercial plantings

Origin

The Prairieblues™ false indigos were developed by Jim Ault, Ph.D., at the Chicago Botanic Garden from crosses made between 1999 and 2004. The selections were developed from crossing Baptisia albescens (formerly B. alba), B. australis var. australis, B. australis var. minor, B. bracteata (formerly B. leucophaea), B. sphaerocarpa, and B. tinctoria in various c ombinations. All parent plants and selections were grown in-ground at the Chicago Botanic Garden (USDA Zone 5b) during the breeding and selection process.

Propagation

Softwood Cuttings
Tissue Culture

Who Am I?

  • Common Name:
    Bue Mound false indigo
  • Botanical Name:
    Baptisia australis 'Blue Mound' PP25902
  • Type:
    Perennial
  • U.S. Native:
    YES

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