Seven Reasons to Love A Lupin

If there is one flower in my garden that I get more compliments on than any other, it would be my absolutely lovely Lupins! I love them and they produce the most prolific, jellybean blooms to be loved! Just as the blooms are starting to fade out for this year, it is worth thinking about planting one or two in your garden next year.

I would encourage everyone to plant attention-demanding Lupins in the garden and with a little know-how, you could be enjoying the fine sight of these tall spires of loveliness. Here are seven reason why I love Lupins:

1. Lupins thrive in a sunny spot with free draining soil so plant them in the right place and they will love you for it.

2. Lupins will add height and therefore structure to your garden. There are dwarf varieties but regular Lupins can growth a height of 1.5m so they work well towards the middle to back of a border to create a focal point of colour. They can also be planted in pots if that suits your situation better.

3.Lupins are at their best blooming show in June and early July and if you cut off the faded flowers regularly, new shoots will appear. Cut the whole spire down to the next new leaf.

4. My favourite colour of Lupins are purple ones and white ones but they come in shades of mauve and pink through to orange and yellow so there’s bound to be a colour which you can fall in love with and if you cannot settle on just one colour, there are plenty of two-tone varieties on the market too.

5. You can combine Lupins with other plants to show them off to maximum effect. I have one border where Lupins and Hostas intermingle like lifelong, shady purple friends.

6. Bees and butterflies love Lupins too and if you can find a moment to sit and watch, you’ll catch the bees disappearing right inside the nectar-rich blooms.

7. Lupins are a perennial plant which means they will die down in Autumn and bounce back into new growth come Springtime. The foliage doesn’t look good in late Autumn as it’s dying back so you can cut it down to the ground in Autumn if it really bothers you and it’ll still grow back come Spring with the most gorgeous shaped leaves but it is always better to let a plant die down naturally if you can.

With so many reasons to love show-stopping Lupins, it is no wonder it is a staple favourite of the designers at The Chelsea Flower Show every year but you can plant it in your garden too to enjoy those magical flower plumes and pimp up your garden like a Chelsea Flower Show designer!