Congratulations! I agree they are a most elegant addition to the garden.

Here's what mine looked like in bloom last year:

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Thanks for sharing the photos. I love everything about this plant. The flowers are amazing, the leaves are fantastic, and I love the way the plant stays nice and green all summer.

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Glad you liked the pictures. Always enjoy letting my pretties show themselves off!

I use a short peony ring around my largest plant. Gives it just enough support so it doesn't flop. I saw them using those up on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA a few years ago and decided if it works for them it'll work for me too. Aside from that, they're completely care-free--no bugs or critters bother them, the foliage is exquisite from spring until frost and they never need pruning, pinching or dividing. That's my kind of perennial!

I just got 2 peony rings a few weeks ago. I plan to put them on my peonies. I saw Martha Stewart use them a long time ago and thought they were a great idea. Last year we had lots of heavy rain and my 2 peonies flopped over big time. I decided that that was it, this will be the year. So I got me some rings. Good price too. I got them for just under $3 each. I was expecting to pay more than that.

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

I found some last year at the $ store.

I started Baptisia australis and B. leucantha (white) from seed my first year winter-sowing (2008). Last year they were in their 3rd year and still hadn't bloomed. Although mine are in 1-gallon pots, since I still haven't figured out where to plant them in their permanent spots. If they had been in the ground, they might have bloomed in the 3rd year? Either way, this is a perennial that requires patience.

I've also got the cultivars 'Twilite prairie blues' and 'Carolina moonlight' and they are beautiful.

Congrats Matt!! I love that plant as well, extremely nice foliage even when not in bloom.

Terrene I don't know about the bloom I don't think it would of mattered really. I know they have a tap root, so maybe it would of... ??

For those that know the plant well is it late to come back?? I wsed some baptisia last year and I remember where I planted it but I haven't seen the sprouts yet. So I am just curious if it is one of those late sprouters??

I sowed more this year just in case.

Congratulations! I have to check this Baptista out.

Baptisia is an early season bloomer so it comes up fairly early. My notes say mine sent up new growth on 3/31 last year and bloomed May 12. I may not see new growth on any of mine this year if the snow doesn't melt in time and with the frigid temperatures we've had, it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Gardenweed, thank you, sounds like it was a good idea for me to sow some more.

I transplanted it during my plunking and chunking and it had me worried. It just didn't look good.

Baptisia has a really long taproot. I bought some plants in quart containers at a local farm a few years ago. The taproot was growing so far out the bottom of the quart pots it was twice the size of the plant growing above the soil in the pot. They're tough plants judging by the fact I cut the pots away and set them in the ground without noticing a bit of transplant shock.

Sure do hope the ones you transplanted during your "plunking and chunking" survive and thrive.

I want some of these but may risk a transplant from my Mom. She got hers that way. I did sow some seeds this year I think though.