Beautiful baptisias are long-lived and low-maintenance, making them an ideal addition to the garden. With a large swath of eastern and central North America forming their native range, these fabulous flowering perennials return to the garden year after year, providing many weeks of color in late spring.
The botanical name baptisia comes from the Greek word bapto, which means to dip or dye. Often known by their nicknames of Wild Indigo or False Indigo, the flowers from yellow and blue varieties were once used by Native Americans and European settlers to make dye for textiles.
The most common use for baptisia nowadays is for ornamental value. Let’s take a look at some of the most beautiful varieties of baptisia to plant for long-lasting and low-maintenance color in the garden landscape.
Twilite
This is a hybrid baptisia variety that produces abundant purple flowers.
| botanical name Baptisia x variicolor ‘Twilite’ | |
 | sun requirements Full sun |
 | height 3’-5’ |
 | hardiness zones 4-8 |
This hybrid variety bred at the Chicago Botanic Garden is a vigorous and fast-maturing type of baptisia. By their third year, these plants can produce up to 100 racemes of spectacular purple flowers with glowing yellow keels. The color combination suggests a thousand tiny sunsets and is simply breathtaking for several weeks in late spring.
The plant is shrubby with blue-green foliage. It remains an attractive member of the landscape throughout the year, dying back in winter and returning reliably every spring for many years.
Alba
A compact baptisia with pure white blooms in late spring, Alba features attractive seed pods.
 | botanical name Baptisia alba |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 2’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 5-8 |
This slightly more compact baptisia creates a wonderful and delicate spectacle in late spring when tall racemes dotted with pure white blooms burst onto the scene. The small shrubs have a nice natural shape you can prune after blooming to keep them looking neat.
You can allow them to remain in their natural form if you prefer to see those interesting seed pods. The seed pods are attractive in their own right and make an interesting addition to dried flower arrangements.
The flowers resemble white lupines and rise up above the mounded foliage, attracting bees and butterflies to the garden in great numbers over their blooming period. Because of its smaller size, this type of baptisia works great in smaller garden spaces where it creates a nice foundational background for other blooming perennials and annuals.
Pink Lemonade
This flower boasts a vase-shaped growth habit with yellow flowers that turn pink as they age.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Pink Lemonade’ PP30669 CPBR6255 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Part of the ‘Decadence Deluxe’ series of baptisia, ‘Pink Lemonade’ has an attractive vase-shaped growth habit and a striking color combination. Masses of yellow flowers bloom on purple stems, gradually changing to pink as they age. The pink coloration begins at the base of the raceme, traveling upward such that both colors exist on the plant simultaneously.
A product of hybridization by breeder Hans Hansen, the ‘Decadence Deluxe’ series is the best of the best products of a complex project. They have an attractive shape and profuse, colorful blooming habit. Butterflies and hummingbirds love this plant, but deer and rabbits avoid it.
Lunar Eclipse
A color-changing variety, ‘Lunar Eclipse’ boasts glowing white flowers that transform into blue-violet as they age.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Lunar Eclipse’ PP 25875 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 2-3’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-8 |
Another product of hybridization from the Chicago Botanic Garden, this color-changing variety lives up to its intriguing name. With glowing white flowers that are slowly eclipsed by blue-violet as they age, these will be some of the most beautiful blooms in the garden. This variety is a genetic offspring of four different species, carefully crafted to be an absolute star among baptisias.
‘Lunar Eclipse’ is slow to mature and bloom, but these flowers are worth the wait. The color-changing hybrids create an interesting and wonderful ombre effect. This variety prefers not to be transplanted and is very drought-tolerant. It can grow in partial shade but could end up with floppy stems if it doesn’t get enough exposure.
Cherries Jubilee
A member of the Decadence series, Cherries Jubilee features an attractive vase shape.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Cherries Jubilee’ PP23907 CPBR5332 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 2-3’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Cherries Jubilee’ is part of the Decadence series and has the attractive vase shape and prolific flowering habit that is prominent within this group of hybrids. Named after the decadent dessert, this variety has red flowers with yellow accents that bloom from chocolate-colored buds in late spring.
At about three feet tall and wide, this plump and pretty variety has dense foliage that looks lovely all summer and through the fall. It looks neat and well-shaped even without pruning after blooms fade, and the attractive pods left over will endure into the winter.
Sparkling Sapphires
Baptisia’s Decadence series variety, Sparkling Sapphires, boasts luminous purple and blue flowers.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Sparkling Sapphires’ PP27904 CPBR656 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 2’-3’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
I just can’t get enough of these Decadence series baptisia varieties! ‘Sparkling Sapphires’ is as gorgeous as it sounds. Like its namesake, the flowers on this variety are luminous shades of purple and blue, blended together to give the petals a glowing quality. This color is a favorite for bees of all kinds as their vision falls on the ultraviolet spectrum, and these flowers beckon to them from across the garden.
‘Sparkling Sapphires’ is a compact shrub and has dense, bushy foliage. It looks wonderful in a grouping to form a low, ornamental hedge. Baptisia is amazingly tolerant of different conditions and isn’t deterred by salt, poor soil types, or drought. You could set your watch by the reliability of these plants to return in the spring.
American Goldfinch
This variety serves as an excellent specimen plant in the cottage garden.
| | botanical name Baptisia australis ‘American Goldfinch’ PP30478 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 3’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
This fun and flashy variety has an exceptionally wide spreading habit. At up to five feet wide and about three feet tall, the ‘American Goldfinch’ makes a striking shrub in the foundation or midground of the cottage garden. It makes an excellent specimen plant as well with its extra showy floral display.
‘American Goldfinch’ blooms big, and the flowers are brilliant, canary yellow. The tall racemes overtake the entire upper portion of the plant in late spring. The magnitude of blooms creates a pollinator paradise, especially in the presence of a mass planting. Long-lived but a bit stubborn about transplanting, make sure you plan for your baptisia plantings to be permanent.
Royal Purple
The flowers of this plant bloom for three to four weeks, adding depth to the foliage.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Royal Purple’ PP25508 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
The Prairie blues hybrids from Chicago Botanic Garden’s Dr. Jim Ault are hybrids of B. australis and B. sphaerocarpa known for their ability to produce over 100 flower spikes from a single mature plant. Full sun will produce the densest foliage and the greatest number of flowers. This particular variety is known for its deep, richly pigmented purple flowers.
Exhibiting many qualities from its B. australis lineage, the blue tones in this varieties flowers are beautifully balanced with a deep maroon undertone. The flowers bloom for three to four weeks, creating depth to the grass-green foliage, and then are replaced with baptisia’s signature black seed pods.
Vanilla Cream
This plant’s cream-colored flowers attract pollinators to a garden of any size.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Vanilla Cream’ PP25663 CPBR5564 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
This creamy confection is all sweetness and beauty. ‘Vanilla Cream’ is another of the baptisia varieties with a neat, vase-shaped growth habit. Its stems stay bare at the base and create the appearance of a large, well-arranged bouquet of flowers. Its smaller size makes it perfect for any size garden.
The foliage emerges bronze in the spring and matures to a grey-green shade. The plant has a nicely rounded shape up top with very dense foliage. The flowers are cream-colored and bloom from yellow buds. While in bloom, you should see plenty of pollinators visiting the garden to sip the sweet nectar from these softly colored blooms.
Purple Smoke
An enduring baptisia hybrid, Purple Smoke boasts dark purple stems and bright green foliage.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Purple Smoke’ is an early and enduring hybrid baptisia with lilac flowers that have deep purple accents, giving the flowers a similar appearance to wisteria racemes. This variety blooms less voraciously than some of the newer cultivars but still makes a wonderful and slightly more subtle addition to the flower garden.
The flower stems are very dark purple, almost black. The foliage, in contrast, is very bright green and quite dense. This is one of the larger varieties, as it was not bred to be a more compact plant with a greater number of blooms like more modern hybrids. Overall, it looks lovely and understated in the garden.
Pink Truffles
Plant Pink Truffles in a permanent location due to its resistance to transplanting.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Pink Truffles’ PP26588 CPBR5333 |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3-4′ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Pink Truffles’ is a perfectly stunning example of baptisia hybridization. The care that went into creating this variety is abundantly clear. In late spring, the medium-sized shrub sends up spikes of purple stems with purple buds that open to clear pink flowers. The blooming of these flowers, which takes place from base to tip, is spectacular in all of its ombre glory.
Deep roots make baptisia resistant to transplanting, so make sure you plant this shrub in a location where it can happily live for many years. These long-lived perennials grow quickly in the spring. ‘Pink Truffles’ has an elegant vase shape and an exceptional blooming habit with flower spikes that appear to outnumber branches.
Grape Escape
A hybrid Baptisia variety, Grape Escape features round plants reaching four feet.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Grape Escape’ PPAF |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Neat, compact, and round, this plump variety of baptisia is a hybrid that can reach about four feet tall over the growing season. You will appreciate the long vase life that these pretty flowers have, lasting for seven to 10 days after cutting. ‘Grape Escape’ produces dusky purple flower stems with similarly shaded buds.
The attractive deeply-hued buds open to a much more vibrant shade of purple, and individual flowers sport a yellow keel, making the otherwise subtle flowers truly pop in the garden. This variety is known for its tall flower spikes and overall sturdiness. Give ‘Grape Escape’ plenty of sun exposure for the most floriferous blooming season.
Cinnamon Candles
This features exceptionally tall flower spikes, reaching two feet above the plant.
| | botanical name Baptisia ’Cinnamon Candles’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 4-5’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Cinnamon Candles’ was bred to have very tall flower spikes that rise well above its foliage, creating quite a spectacle in the landscape. These extra tall spikes can rise two feet above the plant and produce tons of flowers in shades of rust with sunny yellow accents. The color combination is somewhat demure, but the shape and presentation are spectacular.
One of the best qualities of baptisia plants is their drought tolerance and general tolerance of poor soil. This 2018 hybrid possesses all of the hardiness that is common to the genus, along with its amazingly tall and showy blooming habit.
Plum Rosy
With its elegant bicolor flowers, Plum Rosy adds grace to the garden landscape.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Plum Rosy’ PPAF |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Elegance and grace are good adjectives to describe what ‘Plum Rosy’ will achieve in the garden landscape. This compact variety has a bicolor habit. The flowers bloom first in a sweet orchid pink, and over time, they fade to nearly white. Both colors exist on the inflorescences at the same time for that coveted ombre effect.
‘Plum Rosy’ has attractive blue-green foliage and is a nice backdrop for summer bloomers. Another wonderful quality of baptisia plants is the wildlife that they do and don’t attract to the garden. Largely deer and rabbit-resistant, baptisias draw hummingbirds, bees, and even the occasional butterfly into the garden.
Dark Chocolate
This cultivar features extra-long, nearly black flower spikes reaching 27″ tall.
| | botanical name Baptisia ‘Dark Chocolate’ PP30959 CPBRAF |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 3’-4’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
To round out this wonderful group of plants, I have to finish up with another Decadence hybrid. ‘Dark Chocolate’ was bred to have extra long flower spikes, with stems reaching up to 27” tall. The flowers are so dark purple they appear to be nearly black. The stems project far above and to the sides of the green foliage and last for several weeks in the late spring.
The plant has the signature short and bushy form of its hybrid relatives, making it a nice low shrub or hedge in a mass planting. It retains an attractive shape without pruning, but the flower spikes can be trimmed off after blooming for a neater and rounder shape.
Final Thoughts
Baptisias are incredibly enduring, reliable, and sturdy plants that bring a special kind of flower exhibition to the garden. Their tall racemes of flowers in a wide variety of colors and color combinations are certain to draw pollinators during their late spring blooming period. Among lovely flowering shrubs that you can depend on year after year, baptisia has few rivals.
