Lupines are one of my more favorite species to grow from seed, especially since they did so well the first time I’d grown them. They come up reliably, they grow quickly, and they seem pretty easy to keep them happy. I grew the ones in the main photo in 2024 for the Woman’s Farm & Garden Association Ambler Keystone native plant sale, and some even bloomed.

Everything I’d read about these plants suggested they don’t do well in pot culture. I think you can grow them in pots, but you need to grow them in fabric pots. I modified gift bags to work as grow bags, which looked really fun and even work as a decorative bag. At smaller sizes, they are fine in nursery pots.

The only Lupines native in our area

There are many lupines native to other parts of the United States, especially the west coast. While in many cases, growing near-natives here causes zero problems, some of the western species are aggressive enough to displace our native Lupines. This is one of the rare cases of a near-native behaving invasively.

We have to remember that the land on the east coast is very different from those in other parts of the US. Our habitats are unique and endemic to this region. This is why we need to be very careful when planting near-native species for fun, and be willing to remove them if it turns out they might pose a problem.

Endangered Karner Blue Butterfly host

The chances that we have the Karner Blue butterfly in this region are slim to none. They do not migrate, and aren’t known to leave their habitats. However, if we were to plant enough sundial lupines to connect the fragmented regions where they’re located, there’s always a chance they could slowly expand and increase their populations. We should all make an effort to reserve some dry locations on our properties for sundial lupines.

These butterflies are related to several more common species in our region, and can be confused with them. The spring azure and summer azure are quite common in our area and host on other plants, but not lupines.

Benefit to habitat

There are many other insects that benefit from sundial lupines. The flowers do not provide nectar, but they do provide a pollen reward that is forcefully ejected onto the bees. Bees that visit lupines include bumblebees, digger bees, mason bees and other long-tongued bees, as well as halictid bees and bee flies.

Other than Karner Blue, the caterpillars of the Frosted Elfin, Wild Indigo and Persius Duskywing butterflies utilize this plant as a host. Some moths also host on this species, including the Clover Looper, Phyllira and Placentia Tiger moths, Bella Moth, and Sweet Clover Root Borer. The Potato Leafhopper and Military Plant Bug also host on this, and a seed-eating weavil eats the seeds.

Although it is mildly toxic to pets and farm animals, deer and rabbits are reported to forage on this. In the left sidebar I mentioned that what deer do and do not eat depends on location and population. I have not seen evidence on my lupines of herbivory. Your deer may be different.

Not clay tolerant… sort of.

The location where mine are planted is a hard clay mixed with shale and quite dry. I wasn’t sure how they would do, so I planted three in this location, and one came back. I did amend my site with sand. Since the one that came back seems to be spreading (shown in photo), adding some sand to the site seemed to be sufficient. I do recommend mulching the soil – they do grow in dry sites, but other plants help to shade their young roots. Another suggestion is to plant them among native grasses. Clues to growing lupines are in the first chapter of the book In Defense of Plants.

The plants in my shop

I obtained a larger portion of seeds to grow these, but due to limited space, I only grow a few at a time. I will be sowing these throughout the year as long as there is demand for them. If they are out of stock, check back to see if I have more in stock. I grow them in 4 inch deep pots to allow room for root development. I had no issue planting mine out from pots last year. You just need to be careful not to disturb the roots too much while planting.

I suspect the drought killed my other two, because I didn’t mulch the area until after I thought they’d all died. It would seem that a hot summer and drought can send them into early dormancy. Don’t repeat my mistakes, either plant with grasses and/or mulch.

MagiK Picks

I added lupines to two of my MagiK Picks categories thus far. Although they do not provide a nectar reward, I read that they do attract hummingbirds, so that’s why I included it in Humdingers for Hummers. They are also in Show of Hands due to their palmate leaves. Check out these categories for other plants that share these respective features.