Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo with vivid violet-blue flowers planted beside a patio.
Close-up of vivid violet-blue Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo flower spikes.
Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo with vivid violet flowers and blue-green foliage.
Proven Winners logo
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Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo with vivid violet-blue flowers planted beside a patio.
Close-up of vivid violet-blue Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo flower spikes.
Decadence Sparkling Sapphires False Indigo with vivid violet flowers and blue-green foliage.
Proven Winners logo
All media depicts mature plants.

Decadence® 'Sparkling Sapphires' False Indigo (Baptisia)

Perennial

  • Vibrant violet-blue spikes of flowers command attention in the garden!
  • Ornamental seed pods extend interest well into fall.
  • Excellent for cut flower arrangements.
  • Deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and easy to grow.
  • Zones 4-9, sun/part sun, 3' tall x 3' wide at maturity.
  • ZONE
  • EXPOSURE
  • HEIGHT

More info on plant sizes

Size: One Quart
$26.00
Sale: $26.00 Each
Total: $26.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee

Description

Decadence® 'Sparkling Sapphires' false indigo (Baptisia hybrid) makes a grand entrance each year when its vivid violet-blue flower spikes begin to bloom with spring's typically pastel color palette as a backdrop. Its pea-shaped blooms float above blue-green foliage until their replaced by charcoal seed pods in fall. It is perfect as a specimen in small gardens thanks to its compact size, but you'll find Decadence® 'Sparkling Sapphires' false indigo extra special when planted in groups for a dreamy display you can enjoy for 3 seasons. Indulge yourself in the Decadence® series of false indigos from Proven Winners. Each variety is an absolute treat with vibrant colors, dense flower spikes, and a compact habit that makes it easy to nestle into your garden. These deer-resistant native cultivars thrive with very little maintenance, even in heat, drought, and poor soils. They're easy to grow, making them even easier to enjoy!

Details

Botanical name: Baptisia hybrid 'Sparkling Sapphires'
Plant Patent: USPP 27,904
Common name: False indigo, baptisia, horsefly weed, wild indigo
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 2.5 - 3' tall x 2.5 - 3' wide
Flower color: Violet blue
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Spring - summer
Bloom time: Late spring - early summer
Features: Rabbit & deer resistant, Proven Winners, native, heat tolerant, dry soils, drought tolerant
Uses: Accent, border plant, cut flower garden, cottage gardening, massing, specimen, pollinator garden.

How to Grow

Soil: Average to poor well-draining soils.
Light: Does well in full sun (6+ hours direct sun). Tolerates some light shade, particularly in hot summer climates.
Water: Average water needs - water regularly until established. Moderately drought tolerant once established.
Spacing: 3 feet
Fertilizing: Baptisia grows well in poor soils, so fertilizer is not required throughout the growing season. However, if needed, you can fertilize with a well-balanced granular fertilizer in early spring.
Winterizing: Can either be cut back in late fall or early spring.
Maintenance & pruning: Not much is required. Simply remove spent flowers to tidy up appearance, or leave them standing to enjoy decorative seed pods in the fall.

Pollinator-Friendly Perennials to Keep Your Garden Buzzing

Pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystems, gardens, and especially our food chain. Flowers produce pollen as a means of reproduction. While there are so many pollinator-friendly plants to choose from, here are seven of our favorites. You’ll love them, and the pollinators will too.

Learn more

Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:

bush distance

Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:

bush distance zigzag

Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.

Plant Spacing Calculator

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  • 5 stars: 8 (73%)
  • 4 stars: 1 (9%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (9%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 1 (9%)
R
R.P. (Colorado)
Baptisia

Great starter plants, arrived in good condition.

L
L.D.

Very small but mostly healthy. One major stem lost.

We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to us to start the claims process if necessary.

h
h.k. (Illinois)

Received healthy small. plants. They are growing well so far.

L
L.P. (Missouri)

I was excited to start a butterfly garden, but my plants died within 2 weeks.

We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we can better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/bb-guaranteed

M
M.R. (Ohio)
Real Sapphires

Both plants arrived in really great shape. It is December, I was lucky the plants were in ground while we had a relatively mild November. Gotta wait for spring and see what pops up.

E
E.G. (Minnesota)
Sparkling sapphires false indigo

The plant arrived well packed in good growing condition. I can hardly wait to see it in bloom next year

D
D.M. (New York)
Beautiful!

Seems to have adapted well even though I planted it late. It arrived in great condition, healthy and well watered.

C
C.L.K.

Just moved and had to leave these behind. Need to get them in ground now for spring growth! Love these plants that grow as large as a shrub and remain beautiful even after flowers are done. Plants arrived in perfect condition.

L
L.K. (Michigan)
Beautiful Plants and fantastic customer service

I am very happy with my plants. They were packaged very nicely and the plants arrived in fantastic condition. They arrived within 3 days of ordering. When I had a question about my order, I was answered within 24 hours. Customer service was top notch. I highly recommend this company! Excited to see how my plants look when they are more mature.

P
P.S. (Colorado)

It hasn't bloomed yet. Have to wait til next year.

Hello! Thank you for leaving a review. When transplanting young plants from a nursery pot to a garden, the plant allocates more energy to root development instead of shoot development (above ground). It's important for them to develop a robust root system so they can actually absorb the nutrients and water in the soil around them. Then after their root system is more developed they'll invest in their shoots and flower development. They generally spend their first year growing roots in their new home, the second year they have more energy to put into growth, and the third year, they are growing and flowering vigorously. This applies to plants in the garden center as well as plants you purchase online. We hope this helps. Happy Gardening!

m
m.p. (New York)

Always helpful customer service!

B
B.h.&.S.

Do I plant these now in the fall for next spring growth?

Great Garden Plants

Yes, fall is a great time for planting! The rule of thumb for fall planting is to get the plants in the ground at least 6 weeks before the first hard frost in your area. If you are not sure when your average first frost is, check out our gardening article about frost dates here: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/frost-dates-explained-gardening-for-each-zone-in-spring-fall/

T
T.

Do you know if these are tolerant of black walnut toxins?

Great Garden Plants

Hello! False Indigo can be sensitive to juglone toxicity. For plants that tolerate being planted near black walnut trees, check out our gardening article:

https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/juglone-tolerant-plants-for-gardening-near-black-walnut-trees/

C
C.

What is the size upon arrival?

Great Garden Plants

Hello! Plant size varies widely depending on the variety that you purchase and the time of year. The important thing when it comes to purchasing plants, whether online or in a garden center, is that they have a full, robust root system, and that's what we prioritize in our growing. The more roots a plant has, the more energy it can put into growing once it is planted in your garden.