Almost black flowers.

Baptisia Prairie Blues™ Midnight

Such dark purple flowers, they appear black and complement the grass green leaves and stems for a stunning contracst in the garden.

The dark violet-blue flowers are borne in profusion on the 24-inch-long primary inflorescences. The shorter secondary inflorescences come into bloom as the primary inflorescences are finishing up, extending this selection’s bloom season to three to four weeks, longer than most Baptisia. The fine- textured foliage remains an attractive green all season until the first hard freeze of autumn. This striking plant makes an excellent specimen but is also effective massed at the back of a perennial border. Can be an outstanding addition to a mixed border or grouped for a naturalistic effect in prairie or meadow settings. Its durability lends it to low-maintenance landscapes. The upright stems and their lack of lowermost foliage make ‘Midnite’ suitable for planting close to other plants in the landscape, unlike some false indigos such as B. australis.

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Who Am I?

Common Name

Midnight false indigo
Botanical Name

Baptisia 'Midnight' PP20432
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.

Cultural Details

Bloom Time

Summer
Size

4' tall by 4' wide
Hardiness Zone

4-9
Light

Full sun
Soil

Moist, but well-drained, fairly adaptable to many soils
Moisture

Drought tolerant once established
Disease & 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.
Landscape Use

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

Softwood Cuttings, Tissue Culture