Five year old Baptisia wilting

by Risa
(Long Island, NY)

Hello, I wonder if you can help. I have a five year old Baptisia that has never had any issues prior to this. The plant emerged a little scraggy this year, but set buds as normal. However, when I went to check my gardens today, there was noticeable wilting of the top of the stems and the flower buds. I did not see any obvious cause, but when I touched the flowers, the buds fell right off of the plant. I know that Baptisia are generally carefree, and this has been my experience with the plant. I am located in New York, and we had a very rainy week, but other than that, there has been no change of conditions. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't want to lose this plant. Thank you!

Risa Stein


Doug says check the roots for rot (cold and wet) and or some sort of "chewing" from moles/voles. This might be past saving if it's wilting now.

If rot - you "might" try digging it up, cutting out the bad parts and replanting (it might survive this) or if animal digging - control the little critters.

Do not water and do not feed. It's one tough plant for a well-drained soil but won't last forever. :-(