...if you are not growing Baptisia "Purple Smoke," you are not experiencing the fullness of life. This is a great, great, incredibly great perennial (with a woody root-system, making it, technically, a sub-shrub; therefore, perhaps not totally out of place on the trees and shrubs forum). Unfortunately, try as I might everyday for over a week, I have not yet gotten a defining photograph. Until I do, this will have to suffice.
Scott
One more just to show the form. This photo in no way does Purple Smoke justice.
Scott
I love Baptisia. I tried to dig her up and move her when I moved but alas she has roots to China. I left her and bought new a new one. They look particularily nice planted next to peony since they bloom at about the same time.
I do like that one too Scott--I like Baptisia in general! I have the regular version, the yellow one, purple smoke, the white one out in the prairie, and I think a cream colored one as well. They are truly the "install in ground and enjoy" type of plant.
I love them all! I don't have that Baptisia but I have all three of the Baptisia that are indigenous to my area. They are great plants once they get a chance to set down their roots.
If I am not mistaken, the roots on Baptisia can go down as deep as 15'. Anyone know exactly how deep those babies go?
I have five or six types that I've grown from seed. B. australis, B. leucophaea, B. leucantha, B. tinctoria, B. pendula, B. alba--some of these might be synonyms. None have bloomed yet. I had B. minus, which itself might be a synonym, but moved it and it died. B. "Carolina Moonlight" is in my future somewhere.
I've been growing from seed a few of the Thermopsis species too, which look and grow for all the world just like Baptisia. Thermopsis montana bloomed weakly for me this year, a nice clear yellow. Might be something for you all to try if you can find seed. I got mine from the North American Rock Garden Society seed exchange.
Scott
B. leucantha is a synonym for either B. alba var. macrophylla or B. alba var. alba. I forget which one that is a synonym for. Which ever one B. lucantha isn't the synonym for... B. pendula is the synonym for the other alba. The others you have I'm not familiar with.
I've got the alba var. macrophylla, australis var. australis and possibly australis var. minor, and bracteata var. laevicaulis. Darn, it's been a while. I had to go look those up. The bracteata var. laevicaulis is sort of a cream color but mine hasn't bloomed for me either. I'd like to get some B. tinctoria sooner or later but no great rush.
I don't have any Thermopsis. I'm not even familiar with that genus. Guess I better go do some homework on that. Is it native? Do you have a photo?
I had Thermopsis as an alternate in my NARGS order, but didn't get it.
We have 3 species of Baptisia native in Minnesota. One I found blooming in mid April in sand dunes near the Missisippi River. Pulsatilla patens, also very happy there, had already bloomed out. March is the time for them.
Rick
How long did it take for it to get that big? I have B.australis, and it is taking forever, I just checked it and see that it has 13 stems! Yay! And it will soon be in bloom.
A smaller one is in a more exposed location, but only has 3 stems.
I don't have the following in my flowerbeds, but they grow along our driveway. And in our woods.
B. leucantha
http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL635/2413050/4769326/60456605.jpg
B.leucophaea
http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL635/2413050/4769326/60415635.jpg
I think these two pictures might be better. My plant has been in situ three years. Steady but not breakneck growth. I believe this cultivar is sterile. I have never had any seed pods on mine.
Scott
It is hard to describe how the light catches each one of these buds and flowers, but the effect is like a starry sky of purple gems. Breathtaking.
Scott
I have 2 regular Baptisia and just bought two of " Twilite Prairieblues" from White Flower Farm. It is a more red-purple variety. Now I wil definitely have to get Purple Smoke.
I love Baptisia for the blooms yes, but also for it's robust nature, wonderful foliage, seed pods, and shape all the rest of the year. A truly great shrub.
Decumbent - your pictures are just lovely!
I planted Baptisia seed several years ago. I was not too hip on what it was so planted it in a rather bad spot. I tried to move some twice, but each time it immediately bit the dust. I looked for it to see if it had maybe just lost the top growth and would come back. No luck. LOL
I do have two left, near the side of the driveway and I guess they will just have to stay there. This is the first year that they bloomed fully since I planted the seeds at least two years and probably three years ago. I sure wish I had put them where they could be appreciated more. They look so nice this year, all full of blooms, but not far enough away from the edge of the driveway to really spread to their glory.
I love it when a simple seed can produce such lovely plants at such a good price.
When these make seed I am going to sow them in a much better spot where they will be able to show off.
I have some gaillardia planted behind one of them and it is a pretty contrast to the purple blooms.
Maybe I can get a picture of it when the rain stops.
Baptisia is an odd duck. I have never seen it look good in a pot, but have never lost it when planting it into the garden. Moving it from Point A to Point B within the garden almost never works, however.
Seed germination is simple and automatic if you puncture the seedcoat somehow. I planted hundreds this spring, and rather than cut a thin slice off each seedcoat as I had in the past, I simply chopped at them lightly up and down with a razer blade, sort of the motion of chopping onions in miniature. I got excellent germination.
Equil, in answer to your question regarding the origins of Thermopsis, according to Hortus III (and I've said it before and I'll say it again: it truly is time for Hortus IV!): "About 20 species of herbs of N. American and ne. Asia." Of those Hortus III describes, T. caroliniana, T. gracilis, T. lupinoides, T. macrophylla, T. montana, and T. rhombifolia are all natives; none to the midwest.
I am forming the opinion that Baptisias tend to be of low habitats and Thermopsis are from the mountains. At this point in my learning curve, the foliage, habit, and flowers of Baptisia and Thermopsis are indistinguishable, although obviously from species to species they vary. One exception is Thermopsis lupinoides, which performs a perfect imitation of a lupine, at least in foliage. I haven't seen the flower yet.
Phillips and Rix in Perennials have pictures of just B. australis, and three Thermopsis. Jelitto and Schacht, likewise, are fairly spare in their information.
Scott
So I went to the Friends School sale here in St. Paul. Didn't get the Thermopsis rhombifolia (crop failure), but I did pick up the much larger growing Thermopsis fabacea. $3 for a single 14" stalk (and branched). Like so much of the stuff they have: what a deal!
Decumbant, how long does your baptisia bloom? I'm making plans for next spring's blooms and specific bloomtimes are my current obsession. I know they'll vary some from year to year, but can you tell me round-about how long this guy blooms for you? Gorgeous. Baptisia was on the shopping list, and you may have just made my cultivar decision much easier.
Huga :)
