Baptisia Pink Lemonade Brings Fresh Color

Virtues: Baptisia Pink Lemonade offers the tall, bushy shape of Baptisia australis but with a surprising mix of colors within its flowering stalks. Flowers open yellow and later turn pinky purple. Easy to grow.

Common name: Pink Lemonade baptisia, Pink Lemonade false indigo

Botanical name:Baptisia Decadence Deluxe ‘Pink Lemonade’

Exposure: Full sun to part sun

Season: Late spring to early summer for flowers

Flowers: Pea-type flowers line upright, dark-colored stalks. The flowers open yellow then slowly change through shades of pink-purple. Given the prolonged bloom, the plant carries a range of colors at once. Dark seedpods develop in fall.

Foliage: Oval and deep green.

Habit: This perennial has a vase-like shape to 4 feet tall and wide. It dies to the ground in the fall.

Origins: Baptisia Pink Lemonade is a member of the Decadence Deluxe series from Proven Winners. Baptisia in the Decadence and Decadence Deluxe series come from crosses made by breeder Hans Hansen using species native to the US Great Plains.

How to grow Baptisia Pink Lemonade: Plant in well-drained soil in full sun or part sun, in a spot where it will have room to grow 4 feet tall and wide. Baptize develop a deep taproot and do not transplant well once established, so choose the right location from the start. It will maintain the most upright habit in full sun; with shade it may need support, such as from a tomato or peony cage. Tolerates some drought once established. Cut away dead foliage and flower stalks at the end of fall or in early spring. USDA Zones 4–9.

Image credit: Walters Gardens