Baptisia ‘Nachthemel'

Blue Wild Indigo Fabaceae

A superb deep indigo-purple Baptisia, selected by Hans Kramer at De Hessenhof, Ede, Netherlands, from a batch of approximately 400 seedlings. ‘Nachthemel’ — meaning night sky — was chosen as the darkest-flowered seedling of the group, with flowers noticeably deeper in colour than the well-known ‘Midnite Prairieblues’. Unlike many of the newer Baptisia cultivars, it was deliberately left free to propagate. 

The result is a particularly handsome, upright plant, forming a substantial clump of attractive blue-grey foliage and producing masses of rich indigo-purple flower racemes in late spring. Compared with the rather flatter, more open habit of ‘Midnite Prairieblues’, ‘Nachthemel’ makes a more strongly upright plant, with the flower spikes held prominently above the foliage. 

Like other Baptisias, it is a plant for the long haul: initially somewhat slow to establish, but ultimately extremely long-lived, drought tolerant once well rooted and remarkably robust. The deep roots dislike disturbance, so choose its permanent position carefully. The inflated seed pods remain attractive after flowering and add a second season of interest.

A superb choice for a sunny herbaceous border, prairie planting or naturalistic scheme, particularly where the exceptionally dark flower colour can be contrasted with silver, grey or soft grasses.

Height: 80–100 cm
Spread: 45–60 cm
Flowering: May–June
Position: Full sun
Soil: Deep, reasonably fertile, well-drained soil
Hardiness: Fully hardy; drought tolerant once established