Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue Wild Indigo bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called blue wild indigo, blue false indigo, plains wild indigo (Baptisia australis).

More about blue wild indigo

About Blue Wild Indigo

Baptisia australis · also called blue wild indigo, blue false indigo · flowering

Blue wild indigo is a long-lived North American native perennial forming a shrubby, blue-green clump topped with lupin-like spikes of indigo-blue flowers in late spring. Inflated black seed pods follow and rattle in autumn. Deep-rooted and exceptionally drought-tolerant, it thrives in full sun and lean, well-drained soil, needing little care once established.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Flopping after bloom: Plants in shade or rich soil splay open. Grow in full sun on lean soil, or place a grow-through support early in the season.

The reasons blue wild indigo isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue wild indigo traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding blue wild indigo a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get blue wild indigo to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue wild indigo the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for blue wild indigo and get the feeding right with the blue wild indigo fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Blue Wild Indigo flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full blue wild indigo care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Wild Indigo blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue wild indigo flower?

Blue Wild Indigo blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make blue wild indigo bloom?

Give blue wild indigo the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does blue wild indigo normally bloom?