Seven Reasons to Love a Lupin

Lupins at this time of year produce the most prolific jellybean blooms which demand to be looked at! With a little know-how, you could be enjoying the fine sight of these tall spires of loveliness in your garden.

1. Lupins will add height and 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 sunny border to create a focal point of colour. They can also be planted in pots if that suits your situation better.

2. 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. Just cut the whole spent spire down to the next new leaf. Lupin flowers die from the base upwards on the spires, so when the bottom half starts to wilt or even start to turn brown, that’s the time to remove the spire to stop the plant putting its energy into making seed.

3. Lupins produce the most gorgeous shaped leaves which hold rain droplets like diamonds.

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 is bound to be a colour with which you can fall in love. 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, like letting 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 will 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 does not look so good in late autumn as it dies back, so you can cut it down to the ground in autumn if it really bothers you and it will grow back come spring.

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. Plant them in your garden in a sunny spot to enjoy those magical flower plumes and pimp up your garden like a Chelsea Flower Show designer!