Native Indigo

Easy to grow and wonderfully easy to maintain in a Cottage Garden situation.
Seeds need to be soaked in hot water (just off the boil), for a few hours.
The seed needs to be dried after that before sowing.
Germination usually takes place in about 3-4 weeks but can be staggered over a few months.
As a native it is frost hardy and it will withstand extended dry conditions once established but regular watering improves the appearance of the shrub.
As a legume it improves soil fertility by ‘fixing’ nitrogen through the Rhizobium nodules on the roots.
It is an excellent pollen and nectar source for native and honey bees and is also popular with many butterfly species.
Although one would imagine that the term ‘indigo’ would refer to a deep blue dye we have found that the colour range of the dye moves from a green heavy yellow to very dark green.