Lupinus polyphyllus
Lupine
Common names: Large-leaved Lupine, Garden Lupine, Perennial Lupine
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 30 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −25 °C
- Water need
- Medium
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The garden lupine produces densely packed flower spikes in blue, pink and white in June and July, reaching into the summer sky, and is one of the most beautiful annual garden perennials. As a butterfly plant it fixes nitrogen through its root nodules and improves the soil. The seeds are poisonous and should not be placed in children's hands.
Care instructions
Sow the lupine from March (week 12) directly into the bed; it develops a deep taproot and should not be transplanted. Provide it with a well-drained, slightly acidic soil in full sun and do not fertilise with nitrogen, which it does not need. Cut the flower spikes immediately after they fade (July week 28); then it often blooms a second time and does not spread uncontrollably.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 12 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs darkness to sprout
- Sowing depth
- 1.5 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, lean, lime-avoiding
Lupins are pronounced lime haters: on calcareous soil above pH 7 the leaves turn yellow (iron-deficiency chlorosis). Give them loose, free-draining, rather acidic sandy or loamy soil, humus-rich if you like, but lean to moderately nutrient-rich. Avoid waterlogging, which promotes root rot. The deep taproot loosens compacted soil in the process.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
The lupin is a legume and supplies itself with nitrogen through nodule bacteria. So never add extra nitrogen: it inhibits fixation and drives leaf instead of flower. In spring it is enough to work mature compost shallowly into the top layer of soil to top up trace elements. From the second year in place you usually no longer need to feed at all.
Overwintering
Lupins are hardy perennials and survive the Central European winter outdoors without protection; cut the shoots back to about 10 to 15 cm in autumn, or leave the dead foliage lying over the roots as frost protection. In a container, move the pot to a sheltered spot and wrap it in horticultural fleece, since pots freeze through more than garden soil.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Division
Sowing (simplest method): Before sowing, lightly nick the hard seed coats with a knife or a nail file (scarification) and then soak the seeds in water for about 24 hours so that they swell better. Sow directly in the bed from April, in seed pots indoors from as early as March. Cover the seeds well with soil (about 3 to 4 cm), because lupin seeds germinate in the dark. Note: lupins grown from seed (especially hybrids) flower in mixed colours, and the cultivar colour is not preserved. Wild species and species lupins, on the other hand, come true from seed.
Basal cuttings (for propagation true to type): From March to April, cut young basal shoots that are growing fresh from the heart of the perennial, directly at the base where the shoot meets the crown. Shoots about 5 to 10 cm long are suitable. Remove all leaves except the top one or two and insert the cuttings half their length into a loose, free-draining substrate (e.g. a mix of seed compost, sand and fine gravel or perlite). Put them somewhere bright and warm, but out of direct sun, and keep the substrate evenly moist. After four to six weeks the cuttings have rooted and can be potted individually and planted in the bed in autumn.
Division (rejuvenating older perennials): Lupins develop a strong taproot that is easily damaged by division. So division makes sense only to a limited extent and only if the perennial has formed several clearly separate shoot centres, usually from the third to fourth year in place. Dig the plant up completely in spring (March/April) and divide the rootstock with a sharp spade or knife so that each piece carries at least one crown of its own and enough root mass. Replant the pieces immediately and water well.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Lupine yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?