Aurora False Indigo (Baptisia x 'Aurora')
bap-TIZ-ee-ah ex 'Aurora'

Deciduous Perennial in the Fabaceae Family

Baptisia 'Aurora' is a false indigo discovered as a chance seedling in Creek Hill Nursery's trial garden in Pennsylvania and released in 2024. Its five-petaled, pea-like flowers open a warm butter yellow and gradually become suffused with rose-purple as they age, so a single spike carries both colors at once for an unusually striking, two-toned display.

Like other false indigos, it forms an upright, shrub-like clump on a deep taproot that makes it drought-tolerant and very long-lived once established, but slow to reach full size and resistant to transplanting or division.

Pros

  • Warm yellow flowers that age to rose-purple for a glowing, two-toned spike
  • Upright, shrub-like habit with tall flower spikes
  • Deep taproot brings strong drought tolerance once established
  • Pest-resistant and low-maintenance

Cons

  • Slow to establish and resents transplanting once its taproot is set
  • All parts are mildly toxic if ingested
  • A newer introduction with less long-term garden track record than older cultivars
Highlights A 2024 Creek Hill Nursery introduction with warm yellow flowers that age to rose-purple on the same spike, giving each bloom a glowing, two-toned look.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 4 - 4 feet tall. 3 - 4 feet wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 4a - 8b (Usually hardy to -30° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Full Sun, Good for Borders, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Dried Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Low Maintenance, Medium, Native to North America, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Potentially Toxic, Prairie Garden, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Slow Growth Rate, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Poor Soil, Tolerant of Poor Soil, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Winter Interest
Bloom Period May to June
Flower Color Yellow, Aging To Rose-Purple
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!