Baptisia

A plant with much to recommend it, wild indigo is an excellent specimen in the flower garden with a rounded, shrub-like form and three season interest. Very early to emerge in spring, wild indigo blooms with tall spikes of lupine-like blue flowers with a delicate fragrance above the blue-green foliage in mid to late summer. In the early fall, large, showy seed pods turn from white to blue-black. Pods are often used in flower arrangements. Pods were used by Indians and Colonists as a blue indigo dye substitute and an early subsidized crop. Wild Indigo has a deep taproot which permits it to withstand hot, dry conditions and fixes nitrogen. Somewhat slow growing, but durable, long-lived and pest resistant - repels flies, deer and rabbit resistant. Prefers deep, slightly acidic soil with good drainage in full sun. Host plant for wild indigo (Erynnis baptisiae) and zarucco duskywing butterflies (E. zarucco) and attracts hummingbirds.