I have multiple Baptisia australis/wild false indigo growing in my various full sun garden beds and enjoy them all.

Looking it up after the fact, I found mixed information on whether dividing was likely to be successful.

Baptisia australis has a taproot rather than an outspreading root system so if you didn't get a sufficient bit of taproot with your division, the plant may not survive the transplant. I would leave them alone while they get acclimated to their new locations and let Nature take its course.

My own plants are separated into different areas of my garden: one is in full sun in the middle of my front lawn; another is growing in mostly sun on the back corner of my garage. I made the conscious decision to plant them in various parts of my little green acre since my goal has been to sustain pollinators. I wouldn't plant them in drifts simply based on the amount of real estate they require once they reach their mature size. The base of the plant isn't particularly large but the size of the mature plant in mid-summer can exceed 4 ft. in diameter.

Other than it can get huge, depending on variety. 'Twilight Prairie Blues' in my old garden was about 3 1/2' tall and 6' across. That may be the reason they say avoid planting in drifts......a drift of baptisia could take up an entire garden!!

I think also that they eventually have such a nice form that drifts aren't really necessary, the way they are with plants that have a looser structure. I have six B. australis var. minor (shorter than the straight species) in my 330 square foot hell strip bed, but probably two or three would be the right number. Earlier I wouldn't have said that, but as they have filled in I just feel like it's starting to get a little out of balance. I definitely like it more as a specimen plant, especially with grasses that bring out the texture of the foliage.

If I were you I would probably put the second one in the same border, but some distance apart. They like plenty of sun.

I would plant it in one of the spaces between your daffodils which are done blooming and will start to die back as the Baptisia is getting large. Two types of plants can grow in the same space if they flourish at different times. I love Baptisia, and it looks to me like you have space for both plants. They do get large, and I sometimes have to use stout plant rings to keep them upright if there isn't enough sun.

I will add the little seedling to another spot in that border, then, and hope both survive. I have wanted one based on photos for a little while, but didn't do much research, thinking I would wait for a sale online. Now I can just wait for them to settle in, survive and/or get big enough to bloom. Thanks all!

For the division that is currently having a difficult time, it may help to rig up a temporary shade to reduce moisture loss. My usual is a light weight outdoor chair, but a pillowcase over a pair of bamboo poles on the southwest side might also work. You will be able to remove in a couple of weeks.

I'd be tempted to shade it too from the sun, maybe even give it a little support for a few weeks. It might do okay if ya baby it for a couple weeks and keep it watered during the hot parts of summer. Think too about the fact that yours might be two different colors, so maybe you want in the same area, or maybe not. (we don't drain it, we drink it: name that commercial, HA) A friend gave me one and it lasted one season cuz I didn't baby it; I forgot it. It was huge and did not look it had a taproot, so I split it; neither made it. Ah well..... Also hers was 3 feet around at the base and was hogging one area of her flower garden!

Gosh, if being a worrier and having fun are mutually exclusive, I have been doing this life thing wrong for decades. ;-) My gardens, however, do date to a scant 3 years, so I gladly accept the newbie label. However, don't worry about me, I have plenty of fun playing in the dirt. I suppose my questions here are more opinion/design based because simple facts (What is the hardiness zone of plant x?) are easy to research while questions like "should I crowd baptisias on the chance that one doesn't survive and how should they be incorporated with other perennials" are a bit more subjective. Still, I understand your point - try it and find out is always an effective (if patience requiring) answer. I was just worried about moving them if it didn't work out, as that is listed as a "don't do it" in many places.

Thanks for the advice on protecting the division, all. Currently, it's still pouring rain and 50-odd degrees, but if it warms up this week, I will give it some shade, and put it on my baby list for watering. I don't think it is quite past planting time here yet, but I will definitely avoid planting if we get into summer temps. I lost some Shasta daisies that way last year, and everyone I know says nothing should kill them!

Nice alliums.

The center plant of your big transplant might not make it-because of the taproot issue-but if you leave it in place it will probably sprout from the peripheral roots next spring.

Baptisia propagate readily from root cuttings which means that getting rid of them is hard because any roots left will sprout-not the worst problem in the world.

Please feel encouraged to come and ask questions! It's easy to worry on your first (or third) go around.

I have heard that baptisia takes a while to grow it's tap root, so if the older one doesn't take off, you should know within a short time frame and be able to transplant the seedling without worrying that there's a root to the middle of the earth.

I'm thinking Ken's right that if a sufficient amount of the root system came with the plant, you should be fine. There might be a setback in above ground plant size as the plant might prioritize root growth.

I visited a garden today that the horticulture department at Kansas State maintains. They had full grown B. australis (blue) and B. sphaerocarpa (yellow). Both were enormous, I hadn't realized they got so big until I read this thread and the ones I saw this morning confirm the 4+ foot width. Basically a perennial that functions structurally as a shrub.

I don't think mine (B. australis var. minor) will get that large but I am starting to think two will be plenty out of the six I have. Just need to choose which two...

Just an update on my baptisia division - all of the leaves turned black and shriveled. I cut them off and kept watering and shading the stems, and eventually new leaves grew from nodes and the ground. Meanwhile, the tiny seedling is still tiny, and looks exactly like it did when I planted it. Still, both are alive, so we shall see what happens next year!

Mine were slow growers - expect it to take a couple of years before they really start to fill out.

It looks really happy!

I agree - they are slow to get going...but when they do, Blimey! I have a 'Purple Smoke' which is easily 2 metres wide, crowding out and eventually completely doing for a Whichford hemerocallis and crithmum maritimum. I am wondering how I can reduce the bulk as it is beginning to encroach on my beautiful, but picky, dieramas.