Three ways with lupins

Unofficial star of Chelsea Flower Show, the brazen lupin adds a flamboyant rocket of colour

Few plants have the razzle-dazzle charm of a well-established lupin. A favourite with cottage gardeners and modern minimalists alike, these soaring perennials come in such a wide variety of colours they’ll draw attention wherever you plant them.

Grow in sun or part shade in a moist but well-drained soil and they’ll flower from May into June. Their robust stems don’t need staking but it’s best to give them a sheltered spot.

They’re so simple to grow from seed it’s a shame not to have a go. Their pretty little compound leaves are unmistakeable, which makes them easy to identify when they self sow in the garden.

Sow them in modular trays on the windowsill from February to April but remember they won’t come true from seed; seed packets produce plants in a rainbow of mixed colours. To be sure of a particular hue, take basal cuttings from the parent plant, or buy one already in bloom. ✿

Lupins with… crimson clover and baptisia ‘Dutch Chocolate’

Lupin ‘Desert Sun’ (H80cm/32in) produces bold skyscrapers in sunshine yellow in this sophisticated planting scheme. Red flowers of Trifolium incarnatum (H40cm/16in, S30cm/12in) provide a frisson of contrast, with maroon baptisia ‘Dutch Chocolate’ (H90cm/3ft, S60cm/2ft). Plant in sun and well-drained soil. Catherine MacDonald for Seedlip, Chelsea 2018

...salvia and euphorbia

Purple lupin ‘Masterpiece’ (H75cm/ 30in) cuts a sultry figure in this brooding scheme. Its upright spires are echoed by Salvia sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ (H75cm/30in, S45cm/18in) and contrast with the lime green flowers of Euphorbia longifolia (H and S1.5-1.95m/5-6ft). The trio prefer a moist, well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Tony Woods for Thames Water, Chelsea 2018

...aquilegia and orlaya

Perky pink lupin ‘Blossom’ spires (H75cm/30in) create a pretty partnership with double Aquilegia vulgaris stellata ‘Rose Barlow’ (H and S50cm/20in) and white umbels of Orlaya grandiflora (H60cm/2ft, S30cm/12in) in well-drained soil and sun. Ruth Willmott for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Chelsea 2015