Purple Smoke Baptisia is an upright perennial native with clover-like grey-green foliage on charcoal stems. The slightly arching raceme sporting smokey lavender flowers extend well above the foliage in mid-spring. The blooms give way to large seedpods that blacken when ripe, providing ornamental interest. 'Purple Smoke' is a tough, drought-tolerant plant that grows best with dry to average well-drained acidic soils.. Its abundant flowers are excellent pollination and butterfly attractors.
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Type: |
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Origins: |
B. australis x B. alba Hybrid |
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Height: |
3’ - 4.5’ |
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Spread: |
3’ - 4’ |
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Spacing: |
3’ |
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USDA Hardiness Zone: |
4 -9 |
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Culture: |
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Bloom Color: |
Purple |
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Season of Interest: |
MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Low maintenance plant. Prefers acidic soils but can grow in neutral or alkaline soils. Can take poor or rocky soils and is drought tolerant but soils must drain well. Gains a more shrub-like appearance after established if not pruned. Plants may grow taller in shade, which may require staking. If need to trim back do so after bloom.
LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Woodland Gardens, Wildlife Gardens, Naturalized Areas, Native Gardens, Foundation Plantings, and Containers.
COMPANION PLANTS: Coneflower, Bee Balm, Meadow Sage
IMAGES: normanack, Baptisia Purple Smoke (1), CC BY 2.0, (2) normanack, Baptisia Purple Smoke, CC BY 2.0
*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.
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