YANSEN FARM LUPINES

 

End-of-season
Two-toned Lupine blooming on the
Yansen Farm,
USDA Hardiness Zone 8-b
Reefnet Bay Road, Shaw Island,
San Juan Archipelago, WA.
photo courtesy of Diana.
July 2021.

Common name: Big Leaf Lupine

Botanical name: Lupinus polyphyllus x Russell hybrids.

Life cycle: Hardy perennial

Hardiness zone range: USDA 03-10

Native growing region: Western North America

Preferred climate: Temperate

Soil type: well-drained, moist to wet.

Sun: Full sun to partial shade.

Height: 3-4-ft

Blooms: Early to mid-summer in shades of bi-color pink and blue-purple.

Tolerates: Drought and usually deer resistant.

Degree of difficulty: Easy to grow and one of the easiest perennials to propagate from seed.

Description: According to Diana these are vigorous, self-seeding plants.

Attracts: Pollinators, hummingbirds.

Germination: 7-14 days.

Planting: Tough seed coat so nick lightly with sandpaper or soak in water overnight. Plant outdoors only 1/4" deep where they receive full sun. Lupines have long tap roots so plant in their permanent location. Thin to 18-24 inches.

Notes: This plant is an important food for larvae of some butterflies; wildlife eat some of the mature seeds following the bloom cycle.

Lupine seeds have been unpacked from their  

mature pods and installed in new packets.

They are colorful, nitrogen-fixing, 

pollinator-friendly

plants growing happily on Shaw Island.

Available at the Gatehouse seed rack

Reefnet Bay Road, Shaw Island, WA.