Lupinus polyphyllus Seeds | Lupine Rose
LATIN NAME: Lupinus polyphyllus
COMMON NAME: Rose Lupin
Plant Profile
Lupinus polyphyllus, better known as Rose Lupin, is an upright, bushy, perennial in the pea family. Rose lupin is tall pink spire of cottage border, and dense racemes of rose flowers stand above palmate leaves. Plant feeds soil with nitrogen, and it is a fine, generous presence of border and wild patch. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, well-drained ground. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the pea family, Lupinus polyphyllus draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Modern propagation practice has made this species straightforward to raise by ordinary good methods.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Rose Lupin for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Rose lupin is a fine, generous plant of cottage border and wild patch. Sow seeds in paper pots, for young plants resent move of root ball. To grow rose lupin from seed, sow large, round seeds a centimetre down in trays of moist, free-draining soil, keep trays in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set young plants out in open ground. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Lupins are protein-rich legume crops, lupini beans being a Mediterranean snack after debittering, while the ornamental spires feed bumblebees; alkaloid-rich garden types are not for the table without processing.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Rose Lupin under ordinary good conditions. Sow on the surface of a gritty, well-drained mix, cover lightly with fine compost, and maintain gentle, even moisture in a sunny position. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
It forms an upright, bushy, perennial, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. Rose Lupin settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Once the young plants are away, there is little left to do but watch them grow.
Related Reading
If Rose Lupin appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: