lead plant
Amorpha canescens
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moderate soil
Size2 to 3 feet tall2 to 2.5 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Purple, blue
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Lead plant (Amorpha canescens) is a shrub for borders, pollinator gardens, meadows, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to average, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Tiny purple flowers form in showy spikes, and bees and butterflies visit them. Short hairs cover the leaves and give the plant a grayish look. Its roots run 4 feet deep or deeper, so it handles dry spells well.
Pairs well with Northern bayberry, Sedge, and Apricotta cosmos.
Native range
North America.