Leadplant

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but becomes looser and flowers less.

Water

Low once established. Water regularly during the first growing season, allowing the soil to dry somewhat between waterings.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil; tolerates clay if drainage is good. Avoid persistently wet ground, especially in winter.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Flowers

Early to midsummer; slender spikes of small purple flowers with conspicuous orange anthers.

Foliage

Small, oval leaflets arranged along divided leaves; fine hairs give the foliage a soft, silvery-grey appearance. Deciduous.

Growth

Slow, particularly during the first few years while its deep root system develops.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.7 ft (0.53 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.8 ft (0.56 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.9 ft (0.59 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.2 ft (0.66 m)

About 8 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant in full sun with good drainage, leaving room for its mature spread.
• Water deeply during dry spells in its first growing season; established plants rarely need supplemental water.
• Do not routinely fertilize; rich soil and heavy feeding encourage floppy growth.
• Keep weeds away while young, and keep mulch clear of the woody crown.
• Choose its position carefully: its deep roots make established plants difficult to move or divide.

Pruning. In early spring, wait until buds begin to swell, then remove dead stems and winter-damaged tips back to living wood. In cold climates, most stems may die back and need cutting close to the ground.

Early spring

Check for swelling buds and prune out dead or winter-damaged wood.

Spring

Plant young plants after the soil is workable; water thoroughly and keep surrounding weeds down.

Summer

Water new plants deeply during dry spells, but let established plants grow relatively dry.

Late summer

Leave some spent flower spikes to develop seed if you want to collect it.

Autumn

Sow prepared seed outdoors for natural winter chilling, and leave standing stems for habitat.

Winter

Check that water is not pooling around the crown; improve drainage rather than adding protective mulch over it.

• Plant among little bluestem and prairie dropseed for a low prairie planting with contrasting fine textures.
• Use its silvery foliage beside purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susans in a sunny perennial border.
• Place in a gravel garden or dry bank where its deep roots and drought tolerance are useful.
• Group several plants in a pollinator garden, keeping taller neighbours from shading them.

Garden styles it suits: Midwest prairie, Native meadow, New perennial (prairie), Pollinator garden, Dry gravel garden and Desert / xeriscape.

Plant it with: Little bluestem, Prairie dropseed, Purple coneflower, Butterfly weed, Black-eyed Susan and Wild bergamot.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen and nectar for native bees and attract other visiting insects. Its foliage supports several prairie insects, and rabbits or deer may browse it.

• Root or crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move young plants to a drier position; avoid frequent irrigation.
• Sparse flowering and floppy stems in shade: move young plants to full sun and avoid fertilizer.
• Rabbit browsing, especially on young plants: protect with a wire-mesh guard until well established.
• Slow establishment mistaken for failure: keep weeds down and allow several growing seasons for substantial top growth.

Species-specific toxicity information for people, cats, dogs and horses is limited, so neither poisonousness nor safety is firmly established. Do not treat the leaves, flowers, seeds or roots as food, and prevent pets or livestock from eating substantial amounts.

• False indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa)

  A much taller, broader shrub with greener, less densely hairy foliage; it commonly grows in moist ground rather than dry prairie.

• Dwarf false indigo (Amorpha nana)

  Usually lower and more compact, with greener, less hairy leaves and shorter flower clusters; leadplant has a distinctly silvery, downy appearance.

Amorpha means 'formless', referring to the flower's single petal rather than a typical pea-flower shape, and canescens means 'becoming grey', referring to its hairy foliage.

Propagation. Grow from seed; lightly scarify the hard seed coat and give moist cold stratification before spring sowing, or sow prepared seed outdoors in autumn. Germination can be uneven and seedlings develop slowly. Softwood cuttings are another option; division is unsuitable because of the deep woody root system.

Accepted botanical name

Amorpha canescens

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Montana.

Measured

Average height 61 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.