Lupine
The blue spires of Lupine are a welcome sight in late spring and early summer. Lupine is an excellent plant for dry sandy soils where so many other plants struggle, but it will not do well in clay soils. Low-growing, with …
| Soil Type | Sand |
|---|---|
| Soil Moisture | Dry |
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun, Partial |
| Height | 1' - 2' |
| Bloom Color | Blue |
| Bloom Time | May, June |
| Spacing | 1' |
| Hardiness Zones | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
| Root Type | Taproot |
| Benefits | Butterflies, Pollinators, Hummingbirds, Host Plant, Deer Resistant |
| Seeds per Oz | 1000 |
| Propagation | Moist Stratification, Rhizobium |
| Days to Moist Stratify | 10 days |
| Direct Sowing | Fall |
The blue spires of Lupine are a welcome sight in late spring and early summer. Lupine is an excellent plant for dry sandy soils where so many other plants struggle, but it will not do well in clay soils. Low-growing, with beautiful palmate foliage, plant it with Lanceleaf Coreopsis and Prairie Smoke for a colorful early-season combination.
Lupine is a host plant for the rare Karner Blue butterfly (Plebejus melissa), but habitat loss has led to a decline of Lupine plants in the wild, and put the Karner Blue on the endangered species list. Leaves that have been fed upon by Karner blues have distinctive transparent areas where the caterpillars have selectively eaten the green fleshy parts.
Besides the Karner Blue butterfly, Lupine is also a host plant for the Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas), Queen Alexandra's Sulphur (Colias alexandra), Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae), and the Persius Dusky Wing (Erynnis persius) butterflies.
