Baptisia Decadence Series Sparkling Sapphires - False Indigo

Baptisia 'Sparkling Sapphires' adds an intense blue-violet colour to the lovely series of false indigo 'Decadence', recently developed in the USA. Shorter and more ramified than usual varieties, it also stands out for its generous flowering in late spring, with a very bright colour: The long spikes loaded with almost indigo pea-like flowers appear for 3 weeks, gathered at the top of a green-blueish alfalfa foliage with an interesting texture, even outside of the flowering period. This false lupine will be easily grown in full sun, in well-drained, light soil, even poor and dry in summer.

Baptisia 'Sparkling Sapphires' is a perennial plant from the Fabaceae family resulting from extensive research and hybridization. Its ancestors, including the well-known Baptisia australis, all originate from the meadows and woods of the eastern and central United States. They grow there among tall grasses, without any care, perfectly tolerating frost and dry summers. However, they do not appreciate very chalky soils or heavy and compacted soils.

Over time, the 'Sparkling Sapphires' variety forms a bushy and ramified clump reaching 80-90cm (32-35in) in all directions. The flowering takes place in June, in the form of spikes of deep blue butterfly-like flowers, very popular with butterflies. The foliage, which disappears in winter, is also very ornamental as it sways in the wind. It consists of leaves divided into three large rounded leaflets, a slightly bluish green, resembling those of alfalfa or clover. Like many plants from the Fabaceae family, this Baptisia develops secretly, underground, a powerful and deep root system capable of fixing nitrogen from the air through specific bacteria lodged in small nodules. This very perennial plant slowly expands over time.

Baptisias are close cousins of lupins, which are much better known in Europe, but they are much less demanding in terms of soil and moisture. They have very robust roots that allow them to live for a long time in our gardens, but they require time to establish themselves. A true all-terrain plant, the indigo lupin 'Sparkling Sapphires' is easy to integrate into a restricted space: it will find its place in a romantic garden, a dry garden, or in natural areas. It is also useful for decorating a degraded land, which often surrounds a recently built house. It looks superb alongside roses ('Alissar, Princess of Phoenicea', 'The Fairy'...), Camassia leichtlinii 'Alba Semiplena', Eremurus himalaicus, or grasses (compact Miscanthus, Eragrostis, Panicum). It also pairs well with purple toadflax or hybrid mulleins and spectacular roses.