Blue Wild Indigo

About Blue Wild Indigo

Blue Wild Indigo is a stunning, long-lived perennial that brings a touch of regal elegance to any prairie or garden landscape with its deep blue, pea-like flower spikes. Growing 3 to 5 feet tall, this robust legume forms a shrub-like mound of blue-green, trifoliate leaves. In late spring to early summer, it produces upright racemes of indigo-blue flowers, followed by decorative charcoal-black seed pods that rattle in the wind. Native to the eastern and central United States, it is typically found in open woods, thickets, and prairies. As a member of the bean family, it is a host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing butterfly and several moth species. Its nectar-rich flowers are a favorite of bumblebees and other native bees. Best in full sun to partial shade and medium to medium-wet soils, it has a deep taproot, making it drought-tolerant once established. Germination often requires scarification or a period of cold stratification.