Lupinus Chandelier - seeds

The 'Chandelier' lupin brightens up your flowerbeds, borders, and containers with its large spikes of yellow flowers that bloom in early summer. They are also excellent cut flowers. This perennial plant forms an opulent clump and its beautiful green leaves are deeply divided. Easy to grow and hardy, lupins thrive in any well-drained, non-calcareous garden soil in full sun. Sow in place between April and June.   

The 'Chandelier' variety is part of the Russell lupine range, which are hybrids obtained by cross-breeding Lupinus polyphyllus, a perennial plant native to North America, and Lupinus hartwegii, an annual Mexican species. Some varieties were selected in the 1930s by a gardener named George Russell, a passionate Lupin enthusiast who gave his name to the range. Belonging to the Fabaceae family, these herbaceous perennial plants are appreciated for their robustness, floribundity, and ease of cultivation. 'Chandelier', a yellow-flowering cultivar, forms a bushy clump 90 cm tall when in flower and 60 to 75 cm wide. In June-July, it is covered with upright clusters of flowers, sometimes reaching a length of 50 cm. These spikes are densely filled with pea-like, 1 to 3 cm, butter-yellow, slightly fragrant flowers. The leaves are palmate, with a minimum of 5 leaflets radiating from the same petiole.

In the garden, the 'Chandelier' lupine is an essential plant for English and natural gardens. Its yellow flowering illuminates any flowerbed or container. It pairs particularly well with blue flowers, such as those of Geranium vivace Orion and Delphinium belladonna Ballkleid. If you prefer warm colours, consider Achillea Paprika with its red-orange flowers and Iris germanica Skyfire with its orange flowers.