Bloom Color

Interesting Notes

Midnight Prairieblues™ was selected in 2003 by Dr. Jim Ault of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois, from an open-pollinated seedling population. The seed parent was a hybrid of [Baptisia tinctoria x Baptisia alba]. The pollen parent is thought to be Baptisia australis. The selection features traits from all three parent species.

Medium vigor for a false indigo. A mature plant tends to have fewer stems than more vigorous Baptisia such as B. australis and B. ‘Twilite’.

With fine ornamental character and proven dependability, Chicagoland Grows® selections offer the landscape professional and the home gardener alike an appealing array of quality plants. Established in 1986, Chicagoland Grows is a unique partnership among the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois (OGA).

Collectively, the partners work with other industry professionals throughout North America to select, evaluate, produce and market new and recommended plant cultivars with proven performance under Northern growing conditions.

The program’s success has been greatly enhanced by the reputations of the three founding partners.

For decades, the Morton Arboretum has been known for its trees, as well as for breeding new and improved cultivars for landscape use. The Chicago Botanic Garden, although 30 years young, has established itself as one of the preeminent botanic gardens in the United States; the Garden's plant collections and garden design have served as examples for countless new institutions. The OGA consists of established, often family-owned and -operated nurseries and garden centers with generations of plant knowledge. The combination of experience, knowledge and reputation we receive from our partners enables Chicagoland Grows to introduce and market new introductions with a level of success many new programs strive to achieve for years.

New varieties of maple, birch, boxwood and viburnum are among the plants introduced by Chicagoland Grows. These cultivars, and others to come, are selected from the fields of production nurseries, as well as from the collections and breeding programs of the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Morton Arboretum.

Before a plant can be introduced through Chicagoland Grows, it has been evaluated under a variety of landscape and nursery conditions for up to 10 years. Once approved, these plants may be produced under license for open market sales. Chicagoland Grows plants are sold through wholesale as well as retail nurseries and garden centers throughout the United States.

http://www.chicagolandgrows.org/about.php

Growing and Maintenance Tips

This low-maintenance perennial requires only to be cut back every winter. Midnight Prairieblues™ prefers a well-drained, mesic to dry soil with full sun. Excellent in sandy soils and tolerant of clay soils that are not overly wet. Drought tolerant once established. These long-lived plants produce extensive root systems and are best not disturbed once established.