False Indigo Bush

Amorpha fruticosa

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.