Gardening Unplugged - Baptisias in the Garden with Tony Avent

Recorded on May 6th, 2022. Their amazing drought tolerance, resilience, and beautiful architectural form made Tony fall in love with Baptisias in 1994. These primarily scrub and prairie US natives delight our visitors with spikes of blue, white, or yellow blooms every spring. A wonderful plant that deserves a place in every garden.
Plant Delights Nursery is an award-winning nursery in Raleigh, NC near Garner. We specialize in rare, and unusual perennials and we strive to carry a wide selection of exotic plants, cold hardy tropical plants, and native plants. Many of our best perennials are available nowhere else in the US as they represent rare plants collected by Plant Delights founder Tony Avent during his more than 60 plant hunting expeditions to places like China, Crete, Taiwan, South Africa and Argentina or distributed by some of the many specialty plant organizations of which Plant Delights is a member.
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Juniper Level Botanic Garden was founded in 1986 by Tony Avent to promote and preserve botanic diversity by bridging the gap between botany and horticulture through plant study, identification, educational outreach, global plant exploration. JLBG is home to over 28,000 taxa spread over 28 acres of beautiful grounds.
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[@jackierostow9537]

It's such a beautiful plant. My town's garden club has both the yellow and the blue. I think it is pronounced "Bap-Tee-Sja." Accent on second syllable.

[@timcoleman3421]

How have I never had this in my garden? Seems full proof with sun.

[@Plantdelights]

They really are!

[@camillaluckey4136]

Enjoy & appreciate tour but would prefer cameraman keep camera focussed on plant, maybe using sustained close-ups, rather than on you. Thanks.

[@Plantdelights]

Thank you for the feedback, we are working on our camera skills : )

[@mrilovetheants]

Oh crap! I planted two Blue Towers years ago and one has really taken off while the other is roughly a third of the size. I was hoping to divide the bigger one to try and balance things out. Then I hear the story about the roots damaging digging equipment... guahhh looking forward to finding out first hand.

[@Plantdelights]

Yeah, the roots are quite tough. If you don't have a sharp shovel then a pair of sacrificial pruners can be used to cut the roots.

[@warmblood8016]

Are Baptisia roots a problem for septics or pipes?

[@joycehwys]

Can you grow baptismi in a large planter

[@Plantdelights]

We generally don't recommend growing Baptisias in containers because they need full sun and they develop very intense, deep root structures which allow them to be so drought resistant. Some varieties get 4-5 feet wide... And the roots will go 3-4 feet down into the soil. If I was attempting to grow a Baptisia in a planter, I would select a smaller species (we are working on introducing dwarf varieties in the near future) and use an automated irrigation, or set the pot in a large pan with water or even in a pond. They do great as a semi aquatic.

[@brendadeas8840]

Will they do well on a bank?

[@Plantdelights]

Yes, their roots are very strong and they are tolerant of both wet and dry soils.

[@dodie3031]

Whoever was working the camera did a horrible job...