Baptisia australis | blue false indigo

Regular price: $8.99
Regular price
Sale price: $8.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

4" pot

FALL 2025. Sign up for the waitlist to be notified when available for purchase.

There are so many varieties of Baptista on the market these days - we love them all but have a hard time deciding between them so we simply grow the original.

B. australis is a tough long-lived, low maintenance shrubby perennial. Beautiful rounded glaucous foliage is smothered in hundreds of purple-blue pea-like blossoms in late spring. Dried rattling seed pods lend ornament to the winter garden.

Distinctions: Winner of an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulture Society; Selected as Perennial Plant of the Year from the Perennial Plant Association.

Growing note: Baptisia take a number of years to reach their full potential. It is worth the wait! They are long lived, healthy pants once established. Do not attempt to move them. They have extensive root systems that will not thank you. They are also difficult to grow from seed. The best thing to do is to just give them time and allow them to spread on their own.

Zones: 3 to 9
Family: Fabaceae
Type: Perennial
Height: 36 to 48 in.
Spread: 36 to 48 in.
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Conditions: Dry, well-drained, average
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Color: Lilac-blue
Native Range: eastern North America

Special Characteristics

Deer-resistant
Clay tolerant
Rabbit resistant
Pollinator favorite
Little to no care required (once established)
Outstanding fall color
Glaucous foliage
Snail Resistant

image credits

Image 1 (blooms) Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 2 (foliage) Assianir, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 3 (young seed pods) R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 4 (in garden) Cornusflorida, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ordering information

Preorders

You may place your order anytime to reserve plants for spring 2025 shipment. If you place multiple orders, we will combine plants into one box (or as many as needed) and any extra shipping charges will be refunded when we ship.

We will begin shipping plants as soon as plants begin to emerge from dormancy in spring. Woodies will likely begin shipping in April. Perennials will likely begin shipping in May. If ordering multiple varieties, we will hold until all plants are ready to ship together. If you would like to receive plants sooner please reach out.

We will check in with you a week before shipping to make sure you receive your plants at a time that is convenient for you.

Shipping

Live plants ship in spring and fall only. Plants may ship dormant, depending on variety and season. Shipping costs are most reasonable when bundling like size plants.

4-inch: 1-6 plants ship for $15.00 / 7-13 plants ship for $18.00 / 14-30 plants ship for $40.00
1-gal: 1-2 plants ship for $18.00 / 3-4 plants ship for $25.00 / 5-6 plants ship for $40.00
trees & shrubs: $27.00-$40.00 each, height dependent
seeds: $6.75 or free with orders over $15.00

We regret that we cannot ship internationally or to the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, or WA.

Nursery pick up

Plants can be collected from the nursery Monday through Sunday from 10am-4pm in Spring, Summer, and Fall. We prefer 24 hour notice to get your order together and will email you when ready for collection.

If you place a SPRING 2025 PREORDER, we will contact you in spring when your plants are ready for collection. Woodies will likely become available for collection in April. Perennials will likely become available in May. If ordering multiple varieties, we will hold until all plants are ready to be collected together.

Plant Sizes

We most commonly use the following pot sizes for perennials:

4-inch pot: 3.5" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2-quart pot: 6" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D
1-gallon pot: 6.87" H x 8" Dia (this is a true one gallon pot, not the smaller 'trade' one gallon pot used by many nurseries)

Check out our illustrated pot size guide here.

Representative trees & shrubs are photographed in their pots and posted on each plant page.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at The Old Dairy. We grow all of our plants outdoors without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuels, or peat.

Many of our perennials are grown in the ground and dug upon order (this is especially true for larger sizes). This practice allows us to grow stronger, healthier plants using native soil, and ultimately reduces our impact on the environment.

Our open-pollinated seeds are collected from plants in our mother beds, which have never been treated with chemicals or sprays of any kind.

Read all about our sustainable practices here.