Lupinse, with their colorful spikes, are some of the most popular garden perennials of them all! Lupinus includes hundreds of species, many native to North America. You will see them both in the wild and in gardens – from California to Maine.

Perhaps you’ve seen photos of one of the most famous lupins, the Texas Bluebonnet, which covers fields and roadsides every April and draws many nature lovers.

Growing 1 to 4 feet tall, the leaves of the lupine are gray-green with silvery hairs and the flowers resemble pea flowers. The seed pod looks like a hairy pea pod and contains up to 12 seeds.

PLANTINGLupins prefer moist, sandy, well-drained soil and cool temperatures. They can thrive in heavier soils, but you really need to loosen the soil for their long taproots.Choose a spot in full sun or light shade.Loosen the soil to a depth of about 1 to 1-1/2 feet.Sow seeds directly into the ground in early spring or fall. Soak the seeds in a bowl of warm water overnight before planting.If you start plants indoors, you can transplant them when they are about 4 to 6 weeks old. At this age, they have not developed the long tap root and will have a better chance of survival.Dig a hole 1/2 inch deeper than the planting pot and twice as wide. Space plants about 1 foot apart.GROWINGApply fertilizer every 4 weeks during the summer months.Higher varieties may need to be staked.Cut off faded flowers to promote more blooms.Save the seeds when the pods turn yellow.Do not cut dead nails in autumn, wait until spring.Place mulch around the plants for winter protection.RECOMMENDED VARIETIESThere are over 200 wild species of lupine, and most are North American natives. These usually have blue, white or yellow flowers.