BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF FALSE INDIGO BUSH
Amorpha fruticosa, also commonly called FALSE INDIGO BUSH or Indigo Bush, is an absolutely beautiful thicket forming shrub. Last year I found it growing on a downhill slope on our property about 50 feet from the spring fed creek, which is the type of area they are often found. It likes to grow near creeks and streams.
The first couple of years we lived here, we had a guy come brush hog this area of the property because if it wasn't kept short, it was like wading through a sea of tick infested wildflowers. The waist high wildflowers and grasses were pretty, but also a fire hazard being so near to one of our pole barns.
We weren't completely sure what we were going to do with that area, either, so we just decided to keep it cut short like the rest of the yard. That required brush hogging because if we were late mowing by just a week or two the whole area would have been too tall to use a regular mower without breaking it.
I wasn't even aware of this FALSE INDIGO BUSH until last year after taking a short walk. It must have been there before the times it was brush hogged, but the plant survived anyway. Maybe cutting it back like that was good for it, acting like a pruning.
It has soft pretty leaves on it's branches. They remind me of a smaller version of Mimosa tree leaves. When I first saw this, that's what I thought it was. As much as I think those trees are pretty, they are invasive here. They will end up spreading and crowding out the native plants. That is not good for the ecosystem. I was happy to learn from people in the area who are knowledgeable on Missouri Native Plants that it was actually the FALSE INDIGO BUSH and would do no harm. We already have a lot of invasives which need to be eradicated.
Apparently it can grow quite tall, about 10 to 12 feet at maturity, although this information seems to vary widely. Right now it is only about 4 feet. I bet it will be spectacular once it is fully grown! We did not have the fields cut down last year. All the flowers were sooooo beautiful, even the invasives, but also a really big pain in the tookus. Now that the FALSE INDIGO BUSH is so big it cannot be brush hogged anymore. That isn't exactly what we had planned for this area, although the plan isn't set in stone yet.
What I would prefer to do is propagate it by taking cuttings to move it closer to the edge of the creek, in an alternating arrangement with other Missouri Native plants, such as Hazelnut, Elderberry, Paw Paw, and Black Raspberries. I had thought of possibly digging it up, but according to locals in the area, that will be extremely hard to do. This is still something I am thinking on. Time will tell.
(All images were taken by me, @phedizzle, on my homestead with my MOTO X Smartphone)
When I researched the FALSE INDIGO BUSH I found that it is one of the plants that can be purchased from the Missouri Department Of Conservation to help with erosion control. That put a smile on my face!
However, the website which seemed to have the most valuable information, posted on The University Of Texas At Austin's website can be found here if you are interested in learning more. According the website, its benefits are many...
Use Ornamental: Fast growing, Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Bog or pond area, Water garden
Use Wildlife: Nectar-bees, Nectar-butterflies, Nectar-insects, Browse.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: California & southern dogfaces, Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Gray hairstreak, Hoary edge skipper.
Deer Resistant: High
However,
This shrub, which often forms thickets on riverbanks and islands, can be weedy or invasive in the northeast.
Even though an invasive in the Upper East Coast, for me, there is just so much YES about this plant. Happy to have discovered it! Now if I can figure out how to plan around it, and/or move it somehow.
Now that you are more familiar with FALSE INDIGO BUSH, the next post will delve into another very common plant growing in/next to my homestead, which I first mentioned in my recent short story post WALK ALONG WITH ME #1. Stay tuned for the next post DANDY DANDELION!Thank you for following along. If you enjoy these posts, I would greatly appreciate a FOLLOW, UP-VOTE, & RESTEEM. #PAL #walkwithme
Previous posts of this week's series:
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