Lupins - now slightly less Ignorant

I have two Lupin plants in the garden that where an impulse buy from the supermarket early last year - I believe I paid a couple of pounds for them and they've done me proud.

I always seem to forget just how big they grow both in height and spread - note to self for next spring: give them a bit more room to avoid losing the plants next to them!

Plant one

Plant one is planted in a sunny spot - it gets sun from about 11am through to about 8pm and is always ahead of it's sibling in flowering.

Plant two

Plant two is planted in more shady spot, it gets good sun but for a shorter period of time, slower to come to flower it still produces masses of flowers albeit somewhat smaller than plant one. Both plants are in fairly good soil owing to bags and bags of compost in the raised beds although these sit of a clay heavy soil.

In my bid to be less Ignorant I've found out that Lupin (Latin: Lupinus meaning 'of Wolf') are perennial and good for locking in Nitrogen to the soil which is beneficial to other plants - in particular Cucumbers, Broccoli & Squashes. I was also surprised to discover that the beans can be edible and contain up to 40% protein which is close to Beef, however you need to note that in an unprocessed state the Beans are poisonous causing some pretty nasty symptoms - to render edible they need to be boiled and then washed for a week.

Further reading revealed that a species called Tarwi, (Latin: Lupinus mutabilis) is an edible variety without the risks of normal Lupins that can be easily purchased and grown - I think I'll be trying these next year!

I've always had a soft spot for Lupins, loving the bold spikes of colour they bring to the garden and the way little drops of water gather in the leaves reflecting the light, looks like next year I'll have the best of both worlds with flowers and food!

Jewel in the Crown