Lupines are a traditional cottage garden perennial blooming from May to July. They are a legume and are related to beans, peas, carob, peanuts,
honey locusts, vetch and clover. All parts of the plant including the foliage, flowers, seeds and fruits, are toxic.
Russell Hybrids are the results of many years of extensive selection and hybridization
by George Russell of Yorkshire, England.
Their spectacular terminal spike-like racemes of pea-shaped or butterfly-like flowers can reach up to 12 inches long.
Each blossom is made up of two parts, which can be the same or different colors, allowing for great color variations.
Flower colors range from white, pink, violet, blue, red, rose, yellow, peach, salmon to many splendid
bi-color combinations.
All lupines share the same characteristic leaf shape. Their soft green leaves are divided into eight to sixteen small, finger-like leaflets, that diverge from a central point.
They have a long, fleshy taproot similar to dandelions, with a few big prongs. The individual plants do not spread, but as they get older and mature, their roots
get bigger and they send up more flower stalks. If spent flowering stalks are cut down, plants may bloom a second time in September.
They are very dramatic when planted in bold drifts in the border, on banks and hillsides, or naturalized in woodlands and partially shaded corners.
Plants may require staking and should be grown in a position sheltered from the wind.
