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Pennsylvania Gardening

poor blooming False Indigo

17 years ago

I was just doing some research for False Indigo and discovered pictures just filled with flowers. My False Indigo has never really been a big bloomer. It gets 5 to 8 strands of blooms per year---nothing like the pictures I see from people's gardens. I love the plant anyway for the great foiliage. I was just wondering why my false indigo doesn't seem to produce the massive blooming others get. It's in a very sunny location and is very healthy. From what I'm reading, they don't like to be moved. Is it because I don't cut off faded blooms? From my experience with other plants, cutting off blooms just extends blooming but doesn't produce higher blooming. The pictures I see have full bloom EVERYWHERE. Anyone have any ideas?

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Comments (7)

murial
17 years ago
Mine was put in the ground last year after it's bloom session and did give me some blooms this year. Not a huge amount. Was just thinking that it was because it was in it's sleep year.
Mine also in a very sunny location and healthy. Guess I'll have to wait til next year to see if it does the same as yours.
In our area we had a lot of cold weather and a lot of bad frosts late in the season. It affected so many of my perennials this year, that I'm wondering about the lack of blooms on all my flowers this season.
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
17 years ago
I'm hoping mine does better next year. It's the first year blooming but the second in the garden. I have "Purple Smoke", so you would hope it has a consistent performance since it's grown by cuttings right?

The foliage is nice... but I have plenty of foliage already, I want blooms! LOL
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I am so jealous!! Mine just started poking its head up a few days ago and are even smaller then the one in your picture! I think I have blue and twilight prarie varieties planted and I have yet to see false indigo blooms in person but the foliage is very nice in my opinion! Hopefully I will see some blooms this year :) ~michael
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floragal
17 years ago
I got my False Indigo from a friend - it was one of many seedlings she had around a beautiful blooming specimen. This is its third year and I have yet to see it bloom, either. If it doesn't do anything next year it will be compost! I had such high hopes as my friends' plant was such a prolific bloomer. I tried to mimic the conditions hers were in (sunny, rich soil, etc.) but to no avail. Perhaps it's just slow to establish?
katybird_PA
17 years ago
It took mine 5 years to really bloom full out. Maybe yours needs to mature more. You don't mention how long you've been growing it. Cutting the flowers back shouldn't effect next year's bloom. I leave mine b/c I like the seed pods.
maggiecola
Original Author
17 years ago
floragal~ Yours doesn't bloom at all? I don't know if this matters but in my researching my problem, it says that false indigo like poor soil. Mine's blooming--just not much.

katybird~ This is it's 3rd year. I like the seed pods too. I like the foilage too--I might actually make more of it from cuttings so I can have more of the foilage. It would just be nice to have LOTS of those pretty flowers.

kato~ You'd think a cutting would produce the same bush. I was going to try cutting because they apparently dont' like being divided (which I find to be an annoying trait for a perrenial!)

murial~ You bring up a good point. Perhaps it's our weather. Maybe all these pictures we see are of plants in the south. But then again, we have friends who have false indigo with LOTS of blooms right here in PA.

On another blue indigo note, I read that not only do they not like being divided, but they don't like being moved! Has anyone ever moved their false indigo? I'd like to move mine because it's just too big for where it's at right now.
hardrockkid
17 years ago
I understand that they have long taproots. That would explain the aversion to moving and poor response with division.

If it was me and I really wanted to move it, I wouldn't hesistate. Just dig deep! And if it dies in the transplantation... well, I didn't want it in that other spot anyway, so at least it isn't there anymore! (Then decide on whether to try another).

Anyhow, I have one in its second year, and it looked like it was going to bloom nicely... before the *@#$ !! dogs rampaged through that bed and broke the stems off. It is on east side of house, 1/2 day sun, decent soil.

I'm looking forward to next year... it won't fall victim to the dogs again!! Muuuwwuhhaahahah!!!

(Actually, nothing evil -- just relocated their underground fence so that bed is off limits. Bad enough I have to battle weather, rabbits, moles, beetles, fungus and weeds... I don't need my own beasts making matters worse!)
Dorothy Brown
last year
I bought this plant 2 yrs ago and planted where it would never have to move it and it would have plenty of room to flair out in front of my large ornamental grass with autumn joy on one side of the bed and Vera jamison flowing down rocks on the other...sedums growing here so soil is on the poor and dry side...there's a very slight grade to this dry very sunny bed so drainage/standing water not a concern although I have provided supplemental water during dry spells... the plant has not died nor has it grown..still looks like a 10" infant...PLEASE help me figure what to do with this plant...I read they are slow to establish but something else has to be going on here):...HOUZZ is such a great resource so I look forward to your feedback...thanks veryone

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