Periwinkle Popsicle is an upright, dark blue false indigo with an elegant vase shape that is taller than it is wide. It flowers later than most baptisias, just as other varieties are finishing, which extends the season of blue.
At four to four and a half feet tall, it makes a strong backdrop in borders and meadows, and its narrow base leaves room for underplanting. It is easy to grow, very long lived once established, drought tolerant and deer resistant.
What it looks like
Long, upright spikes 10 to 14 inches of pea-shaped flowers in deep periwinkle to dark blue, held on tall stems above the leaves. Leaves are three-parted with oval blue-green leaflets. The plant is an upright, vase-shaped clump 48 to 54 inches tall and about 42 inches wide, narrower at the base. At peak bloom dark blue spires rise from the top of the vase-shaped plant.
Growing it with lavender
Periwinkle Popsicle thrives in the same sunny, lean, well-drained soil as lavender, and its late dark blue spikes overlap lavender's first bloom, while its vase shape leaves room to plant lavender around its base.
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: Dark periwinkle blue
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Foliage: Blue-green
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Growth habit: Upright, vase-shaped clump
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Mature size: 4 ft–54 in tall × 42 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: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Mid-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.