Dark Chocolate carries nearly black, charcoal purple flowers on long spikes that can reach 27 inches. The spikes rise well clear of the foliage, so the dark color shows off clearly in late spring and early summer.
The plant forms an incredibly full, bushy mound three to three and a half feet tall, providing shrub-like structure in the garden. It suits borders, meadows and specimen plantings, is very long lived once established and is left alone by deer.
What it looks like
Very long, upright spikes up to 27 inches long of pea-shaped flowers in nearly black charcoal purple, standing well above the foliage on dark stems. Leaves are three-parted with oval leaflets in medium blue-green. The plant is a full, bushy, rounded mound 36 to 42 inches tall and about 36 inches wide. At peak bloom tall, dark spires rise dramatically above the green mound.
Growing it with lavender
Dark Chocolate grows well in the same sunny, lean, well-drained soil as lavender, and its near-black spires make a dramatic, moody backdrop for lavender's lighter purple.
Care
Plant in full sun to part shade in lean to average, well-drained soil; the deep taproot makes it drought tolerant once established. Hardy in USDA zones 4-9. Choose a permanent spot, since established plants do not like to be moved; expect a couple of seasons to settle in, and cut back in late fall or leave the seed pods for winter interest.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Baptisia
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Flower color: Nearly black charcoal purple
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Foliage: Blue-green
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Growth habit: Full, bushy mound
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Mature size: 36–42 in tall × 36 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Late-May
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Peak bloom: Early-June
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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