How to Make Lupine Rebloom

Lupines

Lupines, from the genus Lupinus, are part of the pea family and offer deep, bluish-purple spiked blossoms blooming from top to bottom of several stems. Rising from clumped foliage, they are especially striking when planted in mass and brighten any sunny garden. The trick to getting your lupines to rebloom is simple: just trim off, or deadhead, spent blossoms. However, it's important to know just when to do so for the best results.

Things You'll Need

• Garden shears or scissors

Instructions

1. Deadhead only after your lupines' first round of blossoms has peaked to trigger another round of blooms. Deadheading, like any pruning, is part of healthy garden maintenance. It's a practice that's best done frequently throughout the growing season. The best time to deadhead lupines is once a flower has started to fade, or decline.

2. Check your lupines for blooms that are faded or past their prime. Flowers like lupines, with their multi-bloom spikes, do best if you trim when the stem is also about 70 percent done flowering. Removing faded blossoms will tidy up and freshen your garden display and strengthen and focus the plant's energy on blooming again.

3. Carefully snip off the lupine blossoms that have peaked. Trim off the spent bloom with its stem down to a lateral flower or bud. If there is no lateral flower, trim the stem back to a lateral leaf.

Tips & Warnings

• Deadheading is a good practice with any perennials.

References

• "Fine Gardening: Off With Their Heads: Deadheading Perennials"
• Garden Harvest Supply: Lupinus Plants