Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Lupinus arboreus blue-flowered

Bushy, semi-evergreen shrub about 1.5-2m tall, with silky stems and palmate grey-green leaves composed of leaflets 6cm long. In late spring and summer produces dense racemes to 30cm long of delicately scented, pea-like blue-mauve and occasionally white bicolored flowers

Synonyms

Lupinus arboreus f. caeruleus

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
6 suppliers

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. TOXIC to pets if eaten (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises) - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus: Lupinus can be annuals, perennials or shrubs, with palmate leaves and showy terminal racemes of pea-like flowers
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in light and slightly acid, well-drained or sandy soil in full sun. Ideal for warm coastal locations. See lupin cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed in early to mid-spring or by basal stem cuttings in mid to late spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Deadhead to encourage a second flush of flowers

Pests

May be susceptible to lupin aphid, slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to lupin anthracnose, Powdery mildews and a virus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.