Purple Smoke False Indigo

Purple Smoke false indigo is a long-lived, clump-forming Baptisia hybrid with smoky lavender-purple pea flowers on dark stems and gray-green, three-part leaves. It makes a substantial spring display, then carries useful foliage and dark seed pods into the rest of the season. ## Landscape use and appearance The [North Carolina Extension Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baptisia-purple-smoke/) identifies Purple Smoke as a hybrid of B. australis and B. alba, first found at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. It describes a vigorous plant about 4–5 feet tall and wide, while the [RHS profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/255640/baptisia-australis-purple-smoke/details) gives a smaller spread range; allow roughly 3–5 feet and judge spacing against the site and local growing conditions. The RHS places bloom from April to June; North Carolina Extension describes mid-spring flowers. The dark stems and smoky flowers stand above the foliage, and uncut pods can add autumn interest. ## Siting Give this deep-rooted perennial full sun and well-drained soil; it tolerates part shade. Choose its permanent location carefully because established plants are difficult to transplant. The North Carolina source reports good drought tolerance after establishment and use in borders, meadows, or as a specimen. Bees and butterflies may visit the spring flowers. ## Maintenance Water during establishment, then reduce supplemental irrigation as roots develop. Leave the plant undisturbed once established. If the post-flowering stems open outward, selective pruning can restore a rounder outline, but leaving them also preserves the seed pods. Cut back the dormant top growth when it has blackened.