Lupines (Lupinus) are popular garden additions known for their striking, upright flower spikes and distinctive foliage. Whether these plants return each year depends entirely on the specific species or cultivar planted. The genus includes varieties that follow three different life cycle patterns, making it essential to know which type you are growing to predict its return.
Lupine Life Cycles: Perennial, Annual, and Biennial Varieties
The diverse Lupinus genus contains species classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials, defining how long the original plant lives. Perennial varieties, such as the widely cultivated Russell Hybrids (Lupinus polyphyllus), return from the same root system for a few years. These are technically short-lived perennials, typically surviving only two to five years, even under optimal conditions.
Annual lupines complete their entire life cycle—germinating, flowering, setting seed, and dying—within a single growing season. Examples include the Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) and the Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus). Biennial species grow foliage in the first year, then flower, produce seed, and perish in the second year.
How Established Perennials Survive and Return
Perennial lupines return each spring because the plant’s crown and root system remain alive and dormant underground during winter. Survival is enabled by the deep taproot, which anchors the plant and stores energy during the dormant period. This deep rooting habit also makes established lupines difficult to transplant without causing significant damage.
To encourage successful return, specific cultural practices are beneficial, especially in cooler regions. Excellent soil drainage is paramount, as the crown is highly susceptible to rot if the soil remains waterlogged over winter. Deadheading, or removing spent flower stalks after the first flush of blooms, redirects energy away from seed production. This conservation of energy can promote a second, smaller bloom and extend the plant’s lifespan.
A light layer of mulch applied in late fall helps insulate the crown and regulate soil temperatures throughout the cold season. Lupines perform best in cool-summer climates; their lifespan is often shortened by prolonged heat and humidity. Proper care minimizes stress, helping the root system successfully regenerate new foliage and flowers the following year.
Understanding Self-Seeding and Volunteer Plants
When the original perennial plant dies, new plants often appear nearby, giving the impression the original has returned. This is self-seeding, where the plant drops seeds into the soil to germinate later. Lupine seeds are encased in tough pods that split open, launching the seeds a short distance from the parent plant.
These seeds require cold stratification—a period of cold, moist conditions—to break dormancy. This ensures they germinate the following spring, resulting in new, unexpected seedlings called “volunteer plants.” Volunteers are common with annual and biennial varieties, which rely solely on seed to continue their presence.
Seeds from hybrid lupines, such as Russell Hybrids, will not necessarily grow into plants identical to the parent. Due to cross-pollination, these self-sown volunteers frequently revert to ancestral flower colors, most commonly shades of blue and violet. The new plant is genetically distinct from the original and may display a different color or reduced vigor.