Baptisia australis was selected Perennial Plant Of The Year in 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association.  Other species of Baptisias include lavender blue (B. minor), white (B. alba), bright yellow (B. sphaerocarpa) and bicolors bloom from May into early June (in Tennessee). Modern day cultivars are usually hybrids. Each species or cultivar will bloom for 2-3 weeks.

Plants grown in partial shade may appear stretched or leggy, often requiring staking. Fewer flower spikes are produced in shady places. The only maintenance that I perform is removing thee pea -like pods that form within a month after flowering. I feel the pods detract from the clean shrub-like appearance of baptisias. In late fall I cut plants down to the ground and add all vegetation to a compost bin.

The single plant spreads slowly by rhizomes and eventually crowds out neighboring plants. Divide a plant clump every 5 -6 years and share divisions with gardening friends or start new plantings. It can be used in fresh flower arrangements.