Sundial Lupine

Lupinus perennis

Native to: All New England (extinct in the wild in many states)

Life cycle: Perennial

Seed source(s): Wild Seed Project, Cumberland County, ME

Light: Full/Partial Sun

Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry to Dry

Height: 1-2’ Spread: 8-12" Spacing: 10-18”

Blooms: May-July

Bloom Color: purple

Natural Habitat: Pine barrens, woodlands, meadows, and roadsides with dry, sandy soils Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Host Plant (Karner Blue), Compaction Tolerant, Drought Tolerant

Pairs Well With: Spotted beebalm, butterfly milkweed, smooth blue aster, foxglove beardtongue, flax-leaved aster, and little bluestem

Note(s): Due to the chance of hybridization, and the impact on the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly, please DO NOT plant this if you or your neighbors have any non-New England-native lupine in your gardens (eg. Lupinus polyphyllus).

In June, lavender-blue flower spires with charming, radiating leaves make this an excellent landscape and garden plant for hot, dry well-drained infertile soil (will not grow in moist soil). Like most legumes, it improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation. This wildflower is the sole host plant for the rare Karner blue butterfly. Deer-proof.”

–Wild Seed Project