Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade'

Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade': Lemon Yellow That Blushes to Raspberry

Yellow flowers open first, then blush raspberry purple, so every spike looks like somebody's stirring a pitcher of PINK LEMONADE. Tall, dense and built for sunny afternoons on the deck.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Baptisia hybrid
• Common Name: False Indigo
• Series: Decadence® Deluxe, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 105–120 cm (3.5–4 ft)
• Spread: 115–120 cm (3.8–4 ft)
• Flowers: Pea-like flowers that open soft yellow and mature to raspberry purple, giving a two-tone spike
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to July)
• Foliage: Deep blue-green, forming a dense, mounded clump
• Features: Salt tolerant, no deadheading needed

Where to Plant: Give it a spot in the middle or back of a sunny border, or let it stand alone as a focal point. It tolerates road salt, which makes it useful near driveways and sidewalks. The spikes cut well, and the seed pods that follow dry nicely for arrangements.

Companion Plants: Give 'Pink Lemonade' a sunny, dry bed with low pinks in front and soft grass beside it. Sedum 'John Creech' carpets the front at 5 to 10 cm with pink flowers in July and August. Dianthus Fruit Punch® 'Maraschino' adds double cherry-red pinks at 23 to 28 cm from June to August. Echinacea pallida brings drooping pale pink coneflowers at 60 to 120 cm in June and July. Pennisetum 'Piglet' fills in at 40 to 50 cm with soft, fluffy plumes from August to October.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in average to poor, well-drained soil. Heavy clay is fine if water doesn't sit around the crown. Don't fertilize. Water through the first season, then only in long droughts. Like all Baptisia, it builds a deep taproot and may take a couple of years to bulk up and bloom heavily. It doesn't like to be moved or divided, so plant it where it can stay. No deadheading is needed. Cut the stems down in late fall, or leave them for winter interest and cut them in early spring.

History: 'Pink Lemonade' was bred by Hans Hansen as a seedling of Baptisia 'Red Riding Hood', open-pollinated in Waseca, Minnesota, most likely by Baptisia alba or one of its hybrids, and then selected at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan. It joined the Decadence® Deluxe line, the taller members of the Decadence® family.

Final Thoughts: Bees, butterflies, road salt and dry spells: it handles all of it. You handle the patio chair. FRESHLY SQUEEZED, NO SUGAR ADDED.