Riverbank Lupine (Lupinus rivularis)
Riverbank Lupine is a wonderful pioneer native with cottage garden charm! Like all plants in the Fabaceae family, Riverbank Lupine is a nitrogen fixer - harvesting atmospheric nitrogen and enriching the soil where it grows. This trait makes it an excellent choice for poor soils and it can make an excellent choice to use as a native cover crop. Riverbank Lupine's deep taproot makes it very drought tolerant and excellent erosion control. It thrives in areas of soil disturbance, and self sows very well, making it the perfect choice for restoration projects as well. In addition to acting as a very effective soil anchor, Riverbank Lupine is a very effective mounding ground cover/ weed suppressor!
Riverbank Lupine grows in full sun - part shade, but flowers most profusely in full sun. Its natural range extends from southern British Columbia to northern California mostly on the west side of the Cascades and along the coast in California. It is a short lived perennial/ biennial when happy, but can sometimes grow as an annual. It typically flowers April - July with very showy tall flower stocks. And, the bees love them! Riverbank Lupine is beloved by bees and is a host plant for ~30 species of butterfly and moth species including the Orange Sulfur and Western Tailed Blue butterflies.
Seed packet contains 60 seeds and germination instructions are included.
Riverbank Lupine at a glance
- Average growth dimensions - 3-4 ft tall x 2-3 ft wide
- Dormancy - Evergreen
- Plant type - Perennial herb
- Sun - Full sun - part shade
- Water - Moist - dry
- Flowering time - Late April - August
- Flower color - Purple - blue with white highlights
- Soil preference - Highly adaptable