Baptisia albescens Pink Form - False Indigo

Baptisia albescens Pink Form is a rare and beautiful form with coloured flowers of a botanical species called White Wild Indigo in its native North American lands. This bushy and upright plant, with a robust appearance, will charm with its particularly long flower spikes, blending mauve pink and cream, but also with its decorative pods and its presence in the garden, which is comparable to that of a small bush. Its ash-coloured stems are adorned with beautiful green-grey-blue trifoliate foliage, which is ornamental even outside of the flowering period. Both hardy, undemanding, and resistant to drought once established, this Baptisia is an excellent plant for poor soils, highly appreciated by bumblebees and bees.

Baptisia albescens is a deciduous perennial plant from the family Fabaceae, native to the eastern United States. It can be found in dry and open forests, pine forests, as well as along roadsides. This species is characterized by cylindrical pod-like fruits of coppery yellow-brown colour, and its natural resistance to mildew. Baptisias are all resistant and frugal plants that grow without much care, perfectly tolerating frost and dry summers. Their main enemy is active limestone, when it is too present in the soil. Their growth is slow, and they sometimes take time to establish themselves in the garden.

The Pink Form cultivar forms a bushy clump, sometimes wider than it is tall, reaching an average height of 90cm (35in) with a spread of 80cm (32in). Flowering begins in May-June and continues for at least 3 weeks. Above a tuft of leafy stems, spikes of 40-50cm (16-20in) appear, with the main stem being green-grey and adorned with papilionaceous flowers in rather unusual shades. The overall impression when looking at this flowering is a pastel bicolour, resulting from the blend of cream flowers and tender pink-mauve flowers. After pollination, cylindrical pod-like fruits containing seeds form, which are decorative in summer. The foliage, which disappears in winter, is also highly ornamental as it sways in the wind. It consists of green-grey-blue leaves, divided into three rounded leaflets, resembling those of alfalfa or clover. This very perennial plant is capable of living for many years in the garden, without requiring particular care once well established.

Baptisias are close relatives of lupins, which are much better known in Europe, but they are less demanding in terms of soil and humidity. They have very robust roots that allow them to live as long as shrubs in our gardens. They just need time to establish themselves. A true camel plant, the Pink Form indigo lupin will find its place in a contemporary or romantic garden, a dry garden, or in natural areas. It is also useful for decorating a degraded area, which often surrounds a recently built house. It looks stunning alongside white or blue flowers, allowing for numerous associations according to each gardener's taste. For example, it can be combined with shrubby or perennial salvias, ornamental garlic, thistles, or catchflies... It also pairs well with bear's breeches or hybrid mulleins, which are equally spectacular.

The vernacular name 'Indigo Lupin' comes from the use that some Native American peoples made of these dye plants. Indeed, they provide dye pigments comparable to those of true indigos (from the Antillean genus Indigofera), but of lesser quality.