How to Grow Lupine Flowers

Lupines can reach heights of up to four feet.

Lupine flowers are easy-to-grow perennials. Lupines feature tiny, round blooms in a wide range of colors such as pink, blue, lilac, red, white, and yellow. Common garden-variety lupines can reach up to four feet in height. These flowers bloom in the summer months of June and July on long stems with vibrant spikes. Lupines can be found in the wild or sown from seeds directly into the garden.

Things You'll Need

• Lupine seeds
• Garden fork
• Rake
• Peat moss
• Sand
• Knife
• Nail file
• Paper towels
• Plastic bag or container
• Soaker hose
• Organic fertilizer

Instructions

1. Loosen the soil by digging down 12 inches deep with a garden fork. Remove any weeds, rocks or obstructions that may be in the soil. Lupines will not grow in heavy clay soil, so compost amendments must be added to improve the soil, especially if it is high in clay content. Add two parts sand or peat moss to every two parts of the earth. Mix together with the garden fork and rake the ground until it is level.

2. Treat the lupine seeds by scarification, which involves filing, or nicking the shell of the seed with a knife or nail file. Dampen two pieces of paper towels with water. Place the lupine seeds onto one paper towel sheet and cover with the remaining piece. Fold-in all sides of the paper towels to make an envelope with the seeds positioned on the inside. Place the moist towel envelope in a plastic bag or container and place in the refrigerator for one week. Untreated lupine seeds require this process before spring planting.

3. Create holes or rows spaced four feet apart in the prepared garden site. Push your finger into the ground at a depth of one-fourth inch. Put one lupine seed in each hole. Cover the seeds with a one-fourth layer of garden soil and gently tamp down. Use a fine-mist spray to wet the soil until it is moist. Soaker hoses are an easy way to keep the soil consistently moist without disturbing the seeds. Place these hoses on top of the ground and interspace between rows or plants. Soaker hoses gently provide water through fine pores located all over the length of the hose.

4. Apply an organic fertilizer every month once the lupines germinate and sprout, in two to three weeks. Remove any spent blooms to encourage new growth and increase the growing period.

Tips & Warnings

• Certain varieties of lupines are edible, such as the Mediterranean white lupine. Other varieties are toxic, such as the silky lupine.

References

• I Can Garden: 10 Neat Things About Starting Seeds
• Michigan State University Extension: Lupinus--Lupine
• Plante Natural: Growing Lupine
• USDA Agricultural Research Service: Lupine (Lupinus spp.)