Baptisia PRAIRIEBLUES™ 'SOLAR FLARE'

Baptisia PRAIRIEBLUES™
Baptisia PRAIRIEBLUES™ 'SOLAR FLARE'
false indigo
SIZE/TYPE tall perennial
USUAL HEIGHT 1-1.3m
USUAL WIDTH 1-2m
LEAVES deciduous broadleaf
COLOUR OF LEAVES light green
FLOWERS showy
COLOUR OF FLOWERS +multicolored:yellow and brown
BLOOMING TIME June - July
LOCATION full to partial sun
SOIL TYPE any (acidic to alkaline)
USDA zone (lowest) 4   (down to -34°C)
WINTER PROTECTION  
FOR ZONE 5+6 Code of winter protection zone 5+6
FOR ZONE 7 Code of winter protection zone 7
BELONGS TO CATEGORIES Perennials
náhled fotonáhled foto
Baptisia – false indigo is a tough and long-lived perennial native to S.E. USA and E. North America. The genus comprises of about 20 species which grow mostly in dry and sunny locations. In Europe it was almost absent until the end of the second millennium. But at the turn of the century it slowly became available in garden centres where mostly hybrids combining the best of each species are offered. These tall perennials exhibit a longevity of 15-20 years and make a stunning display of erect, lupine-like inflorescence.

Solar Flare is a hybrid false indigo variety, a cross between b. tinctoria and b. alba. Its rich yellow pea-like flowers open from blue buds and form about 45-52 cm long, erect racemes, and bloom for 2-3 weeks atop 130-140 cm tall stems usually in late June in C.E. climate. They are rich yellow as they emerge and turn copper orange to mahogany brown as they age at the bottom of the raceme, while new yellow flowers keep opening at the top which gives the inflorescence a bi-coloured effect. Solar Flare is a large variety and grows some 1.5-2m wide in maturity so think twice before you choose its location in your perennial bed. Palmate leaves are divided into 3 ovate, light green leaflets. It was bred by James R. Ault in 2004 from Glenco in Illinois, USA, and patented as PP20408 in 2009.

False indigo has just one disadvantage – it is extremely slow to establish hence its high retail price. But once it does it multiplies the number of stems year after year and makes almost a shrub-like appearance owing to which it is often used as a companion plant among non-flowering shrubs and small trees. It was voted Perennial of the Year 2019 by the Czech Perennial Association.

Baptisia needs full sun and warm soil. It is not picky about soil pH but required well-drained ground. Sand and gravel do miracles as they warm up the soil by getting rid of all excess water. Feeding is not required. In late autumn or early spring remove all stems just above ground level. Hardy to min. -34 °C (USDA zone 4), perhaps a few degrees lower.

Last update 08-07-2021
SIZES and PRICES
CURRENTLY SOLD OUT


NOT IN STOCK? WHY NOT TO TRY A SIMILAR ONE:
Baptisia
Baptisia
GLOSSARY
  • STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
  • DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
  • EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
  • STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
  • HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
  • SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
  • HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
  • FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
  • GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
LARGE PLANTS over 150 cmspecimens, screening and hedging shrubs

This site uses cookies to provide services and traffic analysis - here you can find details. I use this site for further use of this site ACCEPT.