Type: Deciduous
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Use: Low
Mature Size: 2’ H x 3’ W
Leadplant is a hardy, drought-tolerant native shrub commonly found in Southwestern landscapes. It is valued for its deep root system, which helps stabilize soil and improve its ability to retain water. Leadplant is in the Pea plant family and also enriches the soil by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere, improving the soil. Its attractive purple flowers that bloom in late July support pollinators and its foliage of densely hairy leaflets provide shade, creating microclimates that protect neighboring plants from extreme heat. It occurs from grasslands to ponderosa forests in northeast and scattered Central New Mexico.
False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa
False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa
Type: Deciduous
Exposure: Sun/Shade
Water Use: Medium
Mature Size: 10’ H x 10’ W
False indigo bush is a deciduous shrub that typically spreads 10–10 feet tall and wide. It has loosely branching, leafy stems and forms dense thickets, especially along riverbanks. It spreads readily via self-seeding and suckers. The plant is known for attracting pollinators with its showy, spike-like clusters of purple to dark blue flowers that bloom from May to July. The foliage is fine-textured and concentrated on the upper third of the plant, with leaflets velvety underneath. It produces small fruit pods containing 1–2 seeds. The shrub is highly variable and adaptable, thriving in riparian zones, moist woods, slopes, canyons, drainages in elevations from 3,700–6,800 feet (1128–2073 m).