Baptisia Decadence® 'Lemon Meringue'

Baptisia Decadence® 'Lemon Meringue': Lemon Spikes, Charcoal Stems, Zero Fuss

Baptisia is the friend who takes three years to commit, then NEVER. EVER. LEAVES. Lemon-yellow spikes on charcoal stems, the body of a shrub, and roots that go down like it just signed a 30-year mortgage.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Baptisia hybrid
• Common Name: False Indigo
• Series: Decadence®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Flowers: Lemon yellow, pea-like flowers on upright spikes held on dark charcoal stems
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (June to July)
• Foliage: Blue-green, forming an upright, vase-shaped clump that looks tidy all season
• Features: Salt tolerant

Where to Plant: Give it a permanent spot mid-border or along a foundation, where it fills out like a small shrub. It thrives in lean, dry soil and tolerates salt, so beds along driveways and sidewalks are fair game. Choose the spot carefully, because once it's in, it stays.

Companion Plants: Give lemon-yellow 'Lemon Meringue' a sunny, well-drained bed with white and orange around it. Lewisia 'Little Snowberry' tucks in at the front at 10 to 15 cm with white flowers in May and June. Dianthus Fruit Punch® 'Whipped Cream' adds fragrant white pinks at 20 to 25 cm in June and July. Echinacea Sombrero® Sangrita brings orange to red coneflowers at 46 to 56 cm from June to September. Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Totem Pole' rises behind at 180 cm on stiff, powdery blue stems.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in average to poor, well-drained soil. Skip the fertilizer. Water regularly through the first season while the roots settle in, then water only in long dry spells. Baptisia sends down a long taproot and takes a few years to reach full size. It doesn't like being moved or divided, so pick its home carefully. It also needs a proper cold winter to bloom well, which Canadian gardens provide. Leave the spent flowers if you want seed pods. Cut the stems back in late fall, or wait until early spring.

History: Bred by Hans Hansen at Shady Oaks Nursery in Waseca, Minnesota, from a 2003 cross of two North American species, Baptisia sphaerocarpa and Baptisia alba. It was a top performer in Colorado State University's 2012 perennial trials.

Final Thoughts: Plant it once. Don't move it. Don't even THINK about moving it. IT HAS TENURE.