Perennial
Lupin
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Flowers in May | Flowers in June | Flowers in July | |||||||||
| Plant | Plant in March | Plant in April | Plant in September | Plant in October | ||||||||
| Prune | Prune in June | Prune in July | ||||||||||
| Looks good | Looks good in May | Looks good in June | Looks good in July |
Overview
Garden lupins bring dense, conical spikes of pea flowers in late spring and early summer, in almost every colour including bicolours. Most garden plants descend from the Russell hybrids bred in Yorkshire in the early twentieth century. The West Country series, such as 'Masterpiece' and 'Persian Slipper', offer stronger colours and sturdier stems. The palmate leaves also catch raindrops beautifully.
Where to grow lupin
Choose full sun or very light shade and soil that drains freely. Light, sandy, neutral to acidic soils suit lupins best; on heavy clay or chalk they tend to be short-lived. Because they fix their own nitrogen, they need no rich feeding, and too much manure leads to soft, floppy growth.
Planting
Plant young lupins in spring or early autumn, 45–60 cm apart. They form a long taproot, so plant small and avoid moving them later. To grow from seed, nick or soak the hard seeds overnight before sowing in spring.
Care through the year
Spring
Protect new growth from slugs and put light support in place on exposed sites.
Summer
Remove faded spikes before they set seed; plants often send up smaller side spikes afterwards. Water young plants in drought.
Autumn
Cut down any remaining stems once they brown. Sow or plant new stock while the soil is still warm.
Winter
Plants are dormant. On damp soils, a mulch of grit around the crown reduces rotting.
Pruning
Deadhead the main spike just above the leaves as soon as most flowers fade. This prevents seeding, which weakens plants, and stops self-sown seedlings in muddy colours swamping named varieties. Cut back to the base in autumn.
Propagation
Take basal cuttings in early to mid-spring from shoots about 8–10 cm long, cut with a little of the crown, and root them in sandy compost. Seed is easy but plants will not match the parent.
Common problems
The lupin aphid forms grey, waxy colonies on stems and can kill plants. Check from May, rub off or hose away early colonies and encourage ladybirds and birds. Slugs, powdery mildew and crown rot on wet soils are the other usual issues. Lupins are often short-lived, so raise replacements every few years.
Guides to the problems most likely to affect lupin:
Something else wrong? Diagnose it by symptom.
Month-by-month reminders
Jobs for this plant come round in March, April, June, July, September and October. Each month page lists everything else worth doing in the garden at the same time.
Related plants
Sources
Botanical names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; growing attributes were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.