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Decadence® Lemon Meringue False Indigo

Baptisia 'Lemon Meringue'

Regular price $4413
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Delivery and Shipping

Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50 $9.99
$50 - $99.99 $14.99
$100 - $149.99 $16.99
$150 - $198.99 $24.99
$199+ FREE

✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee

Plant Profile & Growing Essentials

Drought resistant, Flowering, and Attracts pollinators

Specifications

  • Botanical Name
    Baptisia 'Lemon Meringue'
  • Height
    3 ft
  • Width
    3 ft
  • Growing Zones
    4-9
  • Sunlight
    • Full sun
  • Growth Rate
    Moderate
  • Flower Color
    • Yellow
  • Leaf Color
    • Blue
    • Green
  • Native
    Yes
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Bloom Period
    Late Spring, Early Summer
  • Does Not Ship To
    AK, HI, ID, MT

Planting & Care Instructions

Where to Plant

  • Sunlight: Provide at least 6 hours of direct sun daily for the strongest stems and most vibrant yellow blooms. While it can handle light afternoon shade, less sun often results in a leggy plant that flopping over under its own weight.
  • Soil: These plants thrive in well drained soil and develop a very deep taproot that hates being moved. If you have heavy clay, incorporate several handfuls of organic compost into the planting hole to improve drainage and help the roots establish quickly.

Watering Requirements

During the first growing season, give your False Indigo a deep soak twice a week to help that long taproot reach deep into the earth. Once the plant is established, it becomes remarkably drought tolerant and usually only needs supplemental water during extreme heat waves. Inconsistent moisture during the establishment phase can cause the plant to drop its lower leaves or produce smaller flower spikes.

Pruning Tips

Lemon Meringue blooms on new wood, meaning it sends up fresh stems from the ground every spring. You can cut the entire plant back to about 6 inches from the soil in late winter or very early spring before the new shoots emerge. This cleanup acts like a fresh start for the plant, removing the old woody skeletons so the beautiful new foliage has plenty of room to shine.

Fertilizer Needs

Apply a balanced, slow release fertilizer once in early spring as soon as you see the first purple tipped shoots poking through the soil. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers late in the summer because this encourages tender green growth that will be easily damaged by the coming winter frost. Since this plant is a member of the pea family, it actually works with soil microbes to create its own nitrogen, so a light touch with the fertilizer is always better than overfeeding.

Dazzle your guests with the fantastic yellow blooms of a very showy native perennial. Professional garden designers use the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Decadence® Lemon Meringue False Indigo PP# 24,280 (Baptisia 'Lemon Meringue') to lift the mood and add a sunny layer of bright color. The Decadence® series of Baptisia is a deliciously beautiful line of flowering ornamentals!

As the new spring season starts its full swing, you'll be delighted by the long charcoal stems appearing in elegant masses of upright stems, loaded with beautiful, blue-green leaves. Lemon Meringue forms an upright, vase-shaped mound.

These rare, yellow-flowering False Indigo welcomes late spring, bearing brilliant blooms high above the foliage. The pea-shaped flowers look amazing for many weeks! You can feel great about supporting local butterflies and honey bees, who are certainly drawn to these sunny plants. They'll even flower in full sun or partial shade.

Seed pods appear, hinting at this plant's Pea family relations, for extra interest throughout the summer! Let them dry on the plant to mature into darling little seed pods for autumn crafts. Or trim them just after their peak for a second show in cut flower arrangements. You can even leave them on the plant like little maracas that rattle in the breeze for a sensory element to your garden!

Decadence® Lemon Meringue False Indigo performs beautifully across the United States throughout USDA plant hardiness zones 4 to 9!

Planting and Application:

False Indigo delivers an incredible large-scale perennial presence in the garden. Add a beautiful layer at knee height to define smaller perennials from taller shrubs! Hardy enough for the Rock Garden, and romantic enough for the Cottage border, you won’t go wrong with these cheerful blooms and their vertical flowers!

How happy can you be in your space? Imagine a wide paint brush sweeping luminous color across your garden design. Grow plenty! You'll love the outstanding impact they make in a mass planting or low hedge. Plus they’re practically maintenance-free and oh-so-easy to grow!

Use Lemon Meringue as a beautiful backdrop for smaller perennials like Chocolate Shogun Astilbe. Place it in front of gorgeous shrubs with dark foliage, such as Ninebark or Black Diamond Crape Myrtle. Simply pop a low hedge of Lemon Meringue in front of mature evergreen trees for a fresh, modern look! Don't forget to add smaller shrubs like Pugster White® Butterfly Bush or Neon Flash Spirea in front for a unique mixed border!

Options abound with these versatile large perennials! They work just as well as a utilitarian screen for your air conditioner or compost bin...or as a trés chic display of patio plants. They brighten up existing landscaping with an easy-breezy charm. Make the most of mature trees and shrubs with bright, bold color.

Add several Baptisia to a series of charcoal-gray outdoor containers. Plant spilling Angelina Sedum at the edge, then keep it watered for a long-lasting garden feature!

Layer them into mixed borders. Get creative with other Baptisia selections from Nature Hills, too. They'll be a perfect partner for Decadence® Deluxe Pink Truffles False Indigo and Blue False Indigo. Pollinators adore these warm-toned flowers. Highlight smaller perennials with a lush backdrop in a Butterfly Garden. Intrepid Victory Gardeners can also put the beauty of these early-season nectar resources to work. The enticing blooms help maximize the yields from your veggie patch or fruit bushes.

In spring, snip stems of the blooms and their greenery for bountiful vase arrangements! In the fall, harvest the bean-shaped seed pods as a charming addition to a fall-themed wreath for your front door. Or...simply leave them to add welcome winter interest.

  • Lemony-Yellow, Pea-Shaped Blooms
  • Flowers Pop Against Contrast of Charcoal Stems
  • Enjoy Flowers - Late Spring Through Early Summer
  • Great Cut Flowers & Cute Seed Pods in Fall
  • Energetic, Upright Growth Habit
  • Vase-Shaped Mound of Attractive, Blue-Green Foliage
  • Valuable Nectar Source for Butterflies & Helpful Pollinators
  • Versatile Landscape Use & Use as a "Thriller" in Containers

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Perfect for beginners, Decadence® Lemon Meringue False Indigo can be easily grown in full sun or part shade. Just make sure these Perennials receive at least four hours of sunlight a day. Well-drained soil is best, and you can create a raised bed for planting if you need to improve drainage.

Keep container plants in tall pots with plenty of drainage holes. We recommend a consistent schedule of supplemental water. Once the root system is established in your soil, it can handle periodic drought, but you'll keep your plants happy and healthy with regular water. All plants appreciate a 3-4 inch layer of mulch over the root system.

Deadhead after the flowers fade to clean up the mounds. Prune them in early spring to the ground. New growth and flowers emerge each year from the crown. Though deeply rooted, you can carefully divide these plants every 3-5 years to maintain their vigor if they seem to be struggling. Site them in a permanent spot, as their long tap roots resent being moved.

  • High Performance In Full Sun or Partial Shade
  • Adaptable To Most Well-Drained Soil
  • Moderate to Low Moisture Once Established
  • No Need to Deadhead & Prune Back Early Spring
  • Salt & Drought Tolerant - Deer Don't Prefer The Taste!
  • Adaptable Across Most of the United States - Easy-Care & Long-Lived
  • Improved Selection of a Native Perennial

Gain a decorator touch...the easy way! These delightful native cultivars are very popular and we'll sell out of our limited inventory quickly. Order your Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Decadence® Lemon Meringue False Indigo today at Nature Hills Nursery!

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