Silver Lupine, Lupinus albifrons

About Silver Lupine (Lupinus albifrons) 53 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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The evergreen silver lupine provides year-round interest in the garden. A member of the pea family, it has attractive silver-green leaves that add a pop of color and texture to the garden. In the spring, it boasts large flower spikes that range in color from pale blue to deep purple. The blooms are attractive to pollinators, especially bees.
This stunning shrub prefers dry, sandy, well-drained soil. No need to add compost, silver lupines do best in nutrient-poor soil. Plant in full sun and limit summer water. This plant can be short-lived but does well in the right conditions.

Sources: Bornstein, David, et al. California Native Plants for the Garden. Cachuma Press, 2005.
https://waterwisegardenplanner.org/plants/lupinus-albifrons/

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3.2 - 5 ft tall
2 - 3 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Blue, Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Very attractive to bees
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 7 confirmed

, 50 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Boisduval's Blue Icaricia icarioidesIcaricia icarioides

Arrowhead Blue Glaucopsyche piasusGlaucopsyche piasus

Dicymolomia metalliferalisDicymolomia metalliferalis

Syncopacma nigrellaSyncopacma nigrella

Chionodes braunellaChionodes braunella

Epinotia infuscanaEpinotia infuscana

Sparganothis senecionanaSparganothis senecionana

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 53

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Occurs in a variety of soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Because this species occurs over such a large part of the state in different habitats, it has many companion plants in the wild. In the garden, plant with other species that prefer fast drainage and moderately dry conditions.

Propagation?

By seed

Natural Setting

Site Type

Because this species occurs in such diverse parts of the state, it may be found in a number of settings and habitats including chaparral or coastal sage scrub in seaside conditions on coastal terraces, bluffs, canyons or mesas, as well as open areas in coastal or foothill woodlands with evergreen forest

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 130.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 4.08", Coldest Month: 21.0" - 56.7", Hottest Month: 42.0" - 84.4", Humidity: 0.08" - 35.52", Elevation: -7" - 12091"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Silver Lupine

Lupinus albifrons

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Silver LupineLupinus albifrons

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Silver Lupine

Lupinus albifrons