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Sky-blue Lupine

Lupinus diffusus

Sky-blue lupine is a plant of the deep dry sands of the Southeast — old dunes, sandhills and scrub, ground so droughty and infertile that its silvery, silk-haired leaves are as much water conservation as ornament. Spikes of blue to pale violet flowers stand well above the foliage in early spring and are worked almost exclusively by large bees strong enough to trip the keel. It fixes nitrogen, which is how it makes a living on sand with essentially no organic matter. The taproot goes deep and fast, so it resents transplanting and is far easier to establish from seed sown where it is to grow. It is a larval host for several small blues and hairstreaks that depend on scrub lupines, a habitat that has been heavily lost to development. Do not enrich the soil or irrigate it — kindness kills this one.

Family

Fabaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1.5–3 ft

Spacing

2–3 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic

Bloom

March, April, May

Bloom colors

blue, purple

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies, hummingbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~35 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

foundation

Native states

AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC