Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' 5/2021 Baptisia- (Gardner NC) False Indigo Baptisia, Mature size: 36x48", dusty purple, USDA Hardiness Zone 3, Michigan Bloom Month 5c, In Garden Bed G2 for 7.9 YEARS (Hallson). Planted in 2013.
Mt.Cuba Center: Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is one of the oldest hybrid cultivars of false indigo, and it still remains one of the best for the home garden. Its charcoal-gray stems are beautiful when emerging from the soil and the gray color persists through flowering, creating a fine complement to the pale lavender flowers. A unique feature of 'Purple Smoke' is its miniaturized leaves that give the foliage a finetextured look. These small leaves are inherited from one of its parents, the dwarfsized Baptisia australis var. aberrans. However, the habit of 'Purple Smoke' is slightly larger, yet still compact, at 36"h x 48"w.
Family Fabaceae (legumes). 1996 introduction, seeding selected by the late NC Botanical Garden curator, Rob Gardner. Probably a cross of the North American native Baptisia minor var. aberrans and Baptisia alba. Vigorous, deer-resistant baptisia with charcoal-green stems and lupine-like flower heads of dusty purple. Planted in 2013. Early growth compared to my other Baptisia. It's at 6-8 inches while others are just emerging. Mt. Cuba rating 4.7 Almost dies in 2019, recovered in 2020. Almost back to normal in 2021.
Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Additional photos of this plant from 2015, 17, 18, 20, 21:
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