Baptisia Last Dance

After passing the rigorous selection standards at the Chicago Botanic Garden, another Baptisia introduction from Chicagoland Grows® has arrived! Among the many cultivars in the Garden’s nationally accredited Baptisia collection, the aptly named ‘Last Dance’ has the latest bloom period of all. As such, it extends the bloom season of false indigos with its abundant flowers aging from white to creamy yellow. Beyond its vertical inflorescences, ‘Last Dance’ features dense, light green foliage and barelegged stems that remain upright all year. With its lively habit and bright flowers and foliage, ‘Last Dance’ will bring verve to any sunny site!

Thanks to its upright form and many stems, ‘Last Dance’ has a vivacious yet composed presence. Its barelegged stems give it a deceivingly columnar appearance, but it ultimately grows as wide as tall. No stem lodging has been observed.

Among the Baptisia cultivars in the collection, ‘Last Dance’ is intermediate in size and quite versatile. Depending on what it is paired with, it can be placed in the middle or back of beds. Its barelegged habit allows for interplanting with smaller plants, which works especially well with spring bulbs that finish flowering by the time ‘Last Dance’ branches out. The white to light yellow flowers pair well with most other flower colors as well. Once it finishes blooming, ‘Last Dance’ remains attractive throughout the year. Its foliage remains vibrant green during the summer, then quickly turns deep black following the first frost, providing a dramatic fall display.

‘Last Dance’ was discovered as a chance seedling resulting from an open-pollinated cross in the breeding beds of the Chicago Botanic Garden in the spring of 2003. After a few years of superior performance, it was selected as a potential introduction in 2006. Based on proximity, the seed parent is believed to be an unnamed, unpatented Baptisia hybrid. Based on phenotype, the pollen parent is believed to be a nearby accession of Baptisia leucantha.

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