Lupines (Lupinus spp.) are popular garden perennials celebrated for their striking, tall flower spikes that bring a vibrant vertical element to garden beds. They typically bloom in late spring and early summer, offering a spectacular, colorful display. To ensure this show continues, a simple maintenance practice known as deadheading is used. Deadheading is the removal of spent or faded flower heads, which redirects the plant’s resources to promote new growth and subsequent flowering. This practice helps maintain vigorous, reblooming lupines throughout the season.
Why Deadheading Is Essential
Deadheading interrupts the plant’s natural reproductive cycle. Once the initial bloom fades, the lupine channels substantial energy into developing seed pods. Removing the spent flower spike stops seed pod formation, signaling the plant to allocate those resources elsewhere.
This redirection encourages the production of new flower stems, often resulting in a second, though sometimes smaller, flush of blooms later in the summer. Preventing seed set also helps maintain the desired genetics of hybrid varieties, as lupines can self-seed aggressively and their offspring may revert to less desirable colors or forms. Furthermore, removing the wilting spikes keeps the foliage looking clean and tidy, improving the overall appearance of the garden bed.
Identifying the Right Time
Deadheading should be continuous, starting as soon as the initial flower spikes begin to fade. Lupine flowers typically die back from the bottom of the spike upwards. Visual cues that indicate a spike is ready for removal include petals fading in color, turning brown, or starting to wilt.
Another sign is the formation of small, fuzzy green seed pods at the base of the flower spike, indicating the reproductive process has begun. Consistent removal of these spent spikes throughout the primary blooming season is necessary to encourage rebloom. If you wait too long and the pods turn fully brown, the seeds will be mature and the opportunity for a second bloom will be missed.
Making the Correct Cut
Use clean, sharp bypass pruners or scissors for the cleanest cut and best chance of rebloom. Sterilized tools minimize the risk of introducing disease to the plant’s open wound. Follow the spent flower stem down from the faded spike to the main stem of the plant.
The precise location for the cut is just above the first set of healthy, palmate leaves or a visible small side bud (leaf node) below the spent flower head. Making the cut at a slight 45-degree angle prevents water from pooling on the cut surface, which can lead to stem rot. You can leave a few of the latest spikes intact if you wish to collect seeds or allow for self-seeding. Cutting just above the leaf node ensures the plant focuses its energy on developing the new growth point for future blooms.
Preparing Lupines for Next Season
After the main flowering period and any subsequent rebloom, attention shifts to preparing the foliage for overwintering. Throughout the summer, allow the healthy, green leaves to remain on the plant. This foliage continues to photosynthesize, building up the energy reserves in the roots needed for the following year’s growth.
The final cutback should only occur in late fall or early winter when the foliage naturally begins to yellow and die back. Since the plant is entering dormancy, the top growth can be cut back hard, generally to within about six inches of the ground. In colder climates, applying a light layer of organic mulch around the base after the cutback provides insulation for the crown and roots through the winter.