Lupines: Good for the Garden and its Inhabitants

Can a plant offer both beauty and utility? Yes, it can! With beautiful lupines, you not only delight your eyes, but also have a soil improver par excellence in your garden. Lupines belong to the legume family, making them relatives of peas as well as peanuts.

Just like other legumes, the underground nodules of lupines form a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria. These bacteria produce significant amounts of nitrogen, enriching the soil with this vital nutrient for many plants. Additionally, lupine roots are known for being very strong and vigorous growers. This allows them to effectively loosen heavy soils – benefiting subsequent plantings as well.

Caring for lupines is simply a matter of watering and cutting off spent flower stalks. This generally helps the plants produce a second flush of blooms. You can use the mature seeds for reproduction the following year. They will germinate better if you pre-soak them in warm water for a day before planting.

Globally, there are about 200 different lupine species today, as the fruits of these beautiful flowers are also valued as food in many regions.

However, not all species are suitable for consumption, as many contain bitter substances and some are even considered toxic. Primarily, so-called sweet lupines are used for eating. The white-flowering Lupinus albus, the blue Lupinus angustifolius, and the yellow Lupinus luteus are therefore also cultivated commercially.

If you give your lupines a sunny or at most semi-shady spot, they will thank you with particularly magnificent blooms. You can either buy perennials and plant them in March to April, or grow your own plants from seeds in August; then they'll bloom the following year.

Non-edible garden lupines are now available in almost all colors; they are generally hybrids. For example, "Mein Schloss" stretches its brick-red flower stalks upwards, while "Edelknaben" bloom in carmine red. And in natural tones of white, pink, and blue, you'll find varieties like "Fräulein," "Schlossfrau," and "Kastellan."