indigo bush
Amorpha fruticosa
USDA zones2 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry or moist or wet soil
Size4 to 12 feet tall6 to 15 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Orange , blue , purple , violet
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa) is a shrub for borders, hedges, privacy screens, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 2, or down to -50°F (-46°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Deer rarely make it their first choice. Small purple to dark blue flowers with yellow stamens appear in spikelike clusters from April to June, and bees and butterflies visit them. It often forms dense thickets, so give it room.
Pairs well with Common snowberry, Western azalea, and Red fescue.
Native range
AL, AR, AZ, CA, and 46 more places. See all 50
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY; MB, NB, ON, and QC.