Wild Lupine

Bold Color and Native Charm

Step aside, ordinary perennials - the Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is stealing the spotlight! This native beauty is loved for its upright spires bursting with blue to purple blooms, lighting up the landscape from late spring into early summer. A magnet for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, this pollinator-friendly perennial adds vertical drama and a sense of wild wonder wherever it grows.

Each bloom spike stretches up to a foot long, and the color progression from blue to violet is absolutely captivating. The palmate, hand-shaped leaves shimmer after rain as droplets bead across their surface - a sight you'll want your camera ready for! Naturally drought-tolerant and thriving in poor, sandy, or well-drained soils, Wild Lupine is also a nitrogen fixer that improves the soil for its neighboring plants.

A native of the eastern United States, Wild Lupine belongs to the pea family (Fabaceae) and holds special ecological importance. It's the only host plant for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly caterpillar. Early settlers admired this plant for its beauty and hardiness, while modern gardeners prize it for its effortless adaptability and eco-friendly role in native landscapes.

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Key Features

• Native North American perennial
• Brilliant blue-to-purple flower spikes up to 12 inches long
• Nitrogen-fixing plant that enriches soil
• Deer-resistant and drought-tolerant
• Host plant for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly
• Attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies
• Excellent cut flower for vases
• Distinct palmate foliage with water-beading texture

Landscaping Uses

The upright form of Wild Lupine adds texture and height to garden designs. Mature plants grow 1-2 feet tall and 1 foot wide, ideal for native gardens, wildflower meadows, or prairie-style borders.

• Native and pollinator gardens
• Wildflower meadows and prairie restorations
• Perennial borders for vertical interest
• Naturalized slopes and dry banks
• Cut flower gardens for indoor arrangements

Care & Maintenance

This herbaceous perennial thrives in USDA Growing Zones: 3-8, tolerating full sun and well-drained soil, making it a perfect fit for water-wise and pollinator gardens. Its tough, low-maintenance nature helps it thrive even in lean, sandy, or rocky soils.

Care Tips:

• Planting Time: Best planted in spring or fall.
• Sun Requirements: Full sun for best flowering; tolerates light shade.
• Soil Requirements: Prefers sandy or gravelly, well-drained soils; avoid rich or clay-heavy soil.
• Moisture Needs: Moderate to low; new plants need consistent water their first year. Use the Finger Test to gauge moisture needs.
• Mulch: Apply a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch; see how and why to mulch your plants.
• Fertilization Needs: Minimal; compost in early spring is sufficient.
• Pruning Info: Deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms; learn more about deadheading.
• Division Info: Divide every few years in spring if needed.
• Special Perks: Deer-resistant, pollinator-attracting, soil-improving, and drought-tolerant.

Don't forget to order your Nature Hills Root Booster for lifelong mycorrhizal root support.

Bring Wild Beauty Home

Let the Wild Lupine's dramatic blue spires and native charm turn your landscape into a living canvas. This stunning native perennial isn't just eye-catching - it's eco-friendly, soil-enriching, and teeming with life. Order your Wild Lupine today from Nature Hills and watch your garden buzz with pollinator activity all season long!