False Indigo Bush
Amorpha fruticosa
Purple flower spikes with orange anthers that hum with bees in May and June. Fixes nitrogen and shrugs off wet feet, clay, and drought.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
Fixes nitrogen, stops erosion, feeds monarchs and native bees for weeks, and thrives in the sites other shrubs won't touch.
False indigo bush is a large, loose, wildly productive native shrub for difficult sites. In May and June, dense purple flower spikes rise from the arching branches, small individual flowers with orange anthers that make the whole display look like something from a botanical illustration. The native bee activity on these spikes is relentless and audible from a few feet away. Monarchs and swallowtails work the flowers too. It's a nitrogen fixer, which means it actively improves soil fertility over time. It handles wet feet, periodic flooding, clay, drought, essentially any soil condition that discourages other shrubs. The fine-textured compound foliage is graceful and casts light shade beneath. This is the shrub for the bank along a rain garden, the low-lying wet spot, the wild back corner where nothing stays tidy anyway.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown false indigo bush propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant false indigo bush instead of Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), which is also a nitrogen fixer but aggressively invasive. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6–12 ft · 6–12 ft wide
- Bloom time
- May–June
- Bloom color
- Purple
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Native range
- Central and eastern North America from New England to Florida, west to the Rocky Mountains
Care notes for false indigo bush.
Extremely adaptable. wet soils, clay, dry slopes, full sun to light shade. Cut back hard every two to three years in late winter to keep it dense and productive; otherwise it gets rangy. Spreads by seed and suckering in favorable conditions. Excellent for naturalized areas and erosion control banks.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside false indigo bush.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Skyline Drive Package
This package celebrates the world renowned “Skyline Drive” by featuring native plant species encountered along the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
Piedmont Rain Garden Package
For homeowners with a yard that floods when it rains, this package is your solution! The Piedmont Swale Garden Package is comprised of flood tolerant species that will thrive in wet soils.
Exceptional Patio Garden Package
The Exceptional Patio Garden Package is a low maintenance, fool proof way to guarantee an endless color show for you and your guests to enjoy all patio season long.