Along the roadsides and ditches this time of year there are beautiful blue flowers that catch the eye. We have people who come into the garden centre wondering what these flowers are and whether they can be grown in the home garden.

 

These blue flowers are wild ‘Lupins’, and there are varieties that are available in the garden centre. They also come in red, pink, white, yellow, purple along with the blue. It is a perennial that can be either started from seed or bought as a plant.

 

Lupins are easily identified by their tall spikes which are covered with small individual pea like flowers. The dark green leaves consist of narrow pointed leaflets looking like a palm or an open hand. The plants come into bloom in late spring/early summer.

 

Old finished flowers can be removed to lengthen the flowering period. The flower spikes also make beautiful cut flowers and will last 7-10 days.

 

Lupins will self sow easily so if you want more plants for next year, then towards the end of the flowering season leave a few of the flowers on the plant so that they can form seeds. Most often the seedlings will revert back to blue or white. The young seedlings can be transplanted in the spring but mature Lupin plants do not like to be divided as they have a long tap root.

 

Perennials are often referred to as being short lived or long lived. Long lived perennials will keep coming back year after year for many years while short lived perennials will only come back for 2-3 years. Lupins are a short lived perennial, lasting 2-3 years before they are finished, and need to be replaced. Sometimes you can get an extra year out of them by cutting the plants back to the base after they have finished blooming.

 

Grow lupins in a well drained, rich soil for best results. They prefer full sun to partial shade. They can be prone to aphids, but are not liked by deer.

 

For an attractive show plant them in mass plantings or they can be used in a mixed flowerbed. I would place them towards the middle or back of the flowerbed as they are not very attractive when they have finished blooming, and so other later blooming plants can hide them.

 

If you are looking to add some tall colour to the perennial flowerbed, add Lupins to the list. They may be short lived but are certainly worth the effort.