Plant · P-068

Leadplant

Amorpha canescens

Leadplant is a knee-high prairie shrub that fixes nitrogen and blooms blue-purple spikes through June and July, feeding native bees and a natural insecticide compound that can be brewed into a homemade spray. Deer and rabbits find it irresistible, so young plants need caging for their first two or three seasons, and it can only be grazed on rotation, never continuously, or browsing will erase it from a stand. Its four-foot taproot builds slowly before the plant puts on any top growth, which is why establishment takes patience. The dried leaves also make a mild yellow tea once the plant is established.