<p>{Family Fabaceae} Large-leaved Lupine is a tall (4 ft) perennial herb with stately spikes of rich blue-violet pea-like flowers in the summer. It has the characteristic palmate lupine leaves with 13-15 leaflets. The leaves are mid-green and smooth above, and softly hairy underneath. This is the lupine that many of today’s popular garden hybrids were developed from.</p><p>These plants are easy to grow, and quickly form a large clump. Most lupins prefer a climate with cool, wet winters and long dry summers, but they are adaptable. Plant them in full sun, in well-drained soil, slightly acidic and moderately fertile.Spent flowers should be removed to prevent masses of seed being produced and exhausting the plant (also prevents self-seeding). Propagate species lupins by seed sown in the autumn or spring. Watch for slugs and snails which can decimate a plant, and also fungal diseases such as mildew and rust.</p><p>Lupinus polyphyllus is native to western North America. L. polyphyllus is one of the parents that George Russell, the famous English lupin hybridiser, used around 1937 to breed an excellent garden strain of 'Russel Hybrid' lupins. He selected the best seedlings from a variety of open-pollinated L. polyphyllus plants, with the other parent thought to have been L. hartwegii.</p>
