THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120078
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
FOR FOUR YEARS, Rob Gardner, propagation curator at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill, watched over and nurtured a wild indigo seedling that he thought could be outstanding.
Finally, in 1994 he sent a photo of it to Kim Hawks, owner of Niche Gardens near Chapel Hill. Hawks was excited but says she was disappointed that she had to wait a year before the plant would bloom.
``When it bloomed, it was incredible,'' Hawks said. ``Truly a native plant selection well worth its place in the garden for its flower form, unique flower color, attractive small pea-like foliage and strong vertical upright form.'' Others attributes include that the plant is drought tolerant and has good longevity.
Native false indigo (Baptisia australis) has rich blue pea-like flowers. White wild indigo (Baptisia alba) has charcoal stems and gray-green foliage. Combine these two and you have the new ``Purple Smoke'' with the strengths of both species, Hawks said.
Flowers resemble lupines and are a smoky violet color with a purple eye. Numerous pea flowers open first at the base of the flower stalk and ascend upward, topping out at 4 1/2 feet high. Mature 3- to 4-year-old plants can produce over 50 blooming stalks in springtime gardens.
This new indigo thrives in lean, well-drained soil in full sun and is hardy in zones 4 through 9, including zone 8, where we live. It's important to plant it where it will stay, because Baptisia seldom survives transplanting once established.
North Carolina Botanical Gardens and Niche Gardens are jointly introducing this native perennial this spring through Niche Gardens mail-order and retail garden center and on site at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens.
It costs $10 in a quart container through Niche Gardens. Their catalog can be obtained by mailing a $3 check to 1111 Dawson Road, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27516. Call (919) 967-0078. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
KIM HAWKS
``Purple Smoke'' blooms on sturdy stems. A mature plant produces 50
stalks in a season.
Graphic
HAWKS LECTURE
Kim Hawks will talk about this new wild indigo and other native
perennials when she speaks at the Tidewater Garden Symposium on
Thursday, March 7, in the Norfolk Academy auditorium.
Call 422-0789 or 425-7848 for information.
by CNB