Lupin
Protect young plants from slugs, which can strip seedlings before they establish.
Care
Full sun to light part shade.
Standard border watering.
Free-draining, slightly acidic soil. As a legume it fixes some of its own nitrogen, so avoid over-feeding with high-nitrogen fertiliser.
Deadhead the main flower spike once fading, to encourage smaller side spikes; cut back to ground level in autumn.
Feeding is largely wasted on a lupin: it fixes its own nitrogen at the root and a rich soil simply gives sappy growth that aphids find first. A compost mulch in spring is all it wants.
Basal cuttings in mid-spring: take a shoot with a piece of the crown attached, since a cutting without it will not root. Seed is easy too but named colours do not come true — expect a mixed batch of blues and mauves.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MayCheck emerging growth for lupin aphid, a large grey-brown aphid specific to this genus.
- JuneDeadhead the main flower spike to encourage side shoots. how ›
- OctoberCut back to ground level once foliage has died back. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MayCheck emerging growth for lupin aphid, a large grey-brown aphid specific to this genus.
- JuneDeadhead the main flower spike to encourage side shoots. how ›
- OctoberCut back to ground level once foliage has died back. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilCheck emerging growth for lupin aphid, a large grey-brown aphid specific to this genus.
- MayDeadhead the main flower spike to encourage side shoots. how ›
- OctoberCut back to ground level once foliage has died back. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilCheck emerging growth for lupin aphid, a large grey-brown aphid specific to this genus.
- MayDeadhead the main flower spike to encourage side shoots. how ›
- NovemberCut back to ground level once foliage has died back. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Large grey-brown aphids clustering on stems and flower spikes.
What to do. Spray off with water, or treat if severe.
How to spot it. Can strip young seedlings.
What to do. Protect young plants.
Popular varieties
Questions
Lupin: is it hardy?
H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
For compact varieties, though generally happier in open ground.
Lupin: when do you prune it?
Deadhead the main flower spike once fading, to encourage smaller side spikes; cut back to ground level in autumn. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in October.
Lupin: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–July.
When do you feed it?
Feeding is largely wasted on a lupin: it fixes its own nitrogen at the root and a rich soil simply gives sappy growth that aphids find first. A compost mulch in spring is all it wants.