Lupinus perennis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun to part shade.
• Soils: Dry to Moist, well drained soils. Prefers light, sandy or gravelly soil.
• Bloom Time: May-July
• Size: Up to 2ft tall in bloom
An excellent choice for barren areas as the plant prefers not to compete with other plants and is excellent at colonizing open space. Prefers not to be transplanted, so it is best grown from seed. Nitrogen fixer, drought tolerant once established. The beauty of its bloom is unrivaled in late spring. Establish a population on your property and brag about it to your neighbors. Attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. BEWARE of non-native look-alikes in nurseries, they threaten to displace wild populations of this threatened plant, putting insects that depend on this species at risk of extinction.
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis pectinacea), Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host to the critically endangered Karner Blue Butterfly (Plebejus samuelis)
• Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and native bees.
Natural Habitat
Sand dunes, pine barrens, open woodlands and clearings, especially after a wildfire or landslide.