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Key characteristics

Family: Fabaceae
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Width: 3 to 4 feet
Flower color: Smoky purple with charcoal stems
Foliage color: Green
Bloom time: Late spring to early summer
Light: Full sun
Water: Low to moderate
Maintenance: Low; cut back in late fall or early spring
Growing zone: USDA zones 4 to 9
Wildlife: Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators

Perennials

Baptisia x 'Purple Smoke'

Purple Smoke False Indigo

Baptisia x 'Purple Smoke' is a distinctive perennial known for its tall spires of smoky violet-purple flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer. The flowers rise above the green foliage, creating a beautiful contrast that adds elegance to garden landscapes. After blooming, the plant produces attractive charcoal-colored seed pods that extend its ornamental value into late summer and fall.

A hybrid native to North America, 'Purple Smoke' was bred for its unique flower color and robust growth.

Light

Full sun

Water

Low to moderate

Bloom time

Late spring to early summer

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Sun Gardens
Pollinator Gardens
Waterwise Gardens
Cut Flower Gardens

Companion plants

Bearded irises · Bee balm · Yarrow · Ornamental grasses · Garden phlox · Black-eyed Susans

Design tip

Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Give it open sun and room to fill out, and repeat it in threes or fives so the planting reads as one sweep instead of scattered dots.