On 28/06/2013 17:13, songbird wrote:
Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Baptisia australis, blue false indigo. A lovely perennial in
an informal flower border. Spreads by seed. Normally
not dead headed, because the pods are quite attractive and
the seedlings easily pulled. It is a North American native and
was the Perennial Plant Association 2010 Plant of the Year.

Does well in a wide range of soils but prefers lime-free,
well-drained soil.

the seeds sprout in limestone mulch...
this plant is in a very low area, gets wet
frequently and rarely has dry roots. still it
is growing like gangbusters. if it weren't
contained in the area is it by the borders and
plants it would be twice as large around as it
is.

Ah, well, you see not all plants understand the conditions that books
state they /should/ be growing in! I thought Baptisia liked warm sandy
soil before I saw it growing really well here in the UK in cold, wet,
clay soil. I asked the garden owner if it was a newly-planted clump,
but she said it had been growing there for years, with the clump
increasing in size each year.

Just think how big it would have been if it had been growing in the
correct conditions!

--

Jeff