Lupins embellish the early-summer border with striking, rocket-like spikes. Their captivating colours, both vibrant and muted, owe much to the devotion of one man, George Russell (1857-1951), a gardener from Yorkshire who dedicated the latter half of his life to conjuring up bigger, brighter and more beautiful blooms, creating a dynasty of lupins that is still admired and sought after today.
He sowed seeds from sources all over the world on open ground and by meticulously saving the seeds of only the most successful plants, and with the help of pollination by bees, produced what became popularly known as Russell lupins. Their flowers were more stately and their shades more brilliant than ever before. Russell eventually made his lupins commercially available and today specialist growers are continuing his work.

TYPES OF LUPINS
From dainty annuals to tall, graceful perennials to shrubs swathed with scented flowers, lupins number around 200 species. All have spires of pea-like flowers in shades from pure white to deep crimson and some are bicoloured. The perennial Lupinus polyphyllus has produced a wide range of hybrids, including the Russell hybrids, such as yellow 'Chandelier' and pink-white 'The Chatelaine'. Popular annuals are hybrids of species such as L. hartwegii and L. pubescens, while L. arboreus (tree lupin) with its fragrant flowers is an delightful shrub for a seaside garden.

HOW TO GROW LUPINS
Lupins are easy to cultivate, preferring a lime-free, well drained soil that is not too heavy and a site that is in sun or partial shade. Annuals can be sown from seed in situ in spring to flower the same summer, whereas hardy herbaceous perennials can be set out in early autumn or spring for summer flowering. Perennials can be propagated by taking basal cuttings or dividing in spring. For a dashing showpiece, grow lupins in colourful pots.

WHERE TO BUY LUPINS
• West Country Nurseries (incorporating West Country Lupins), Donkey Meadow, Woolsery, Devon EX39 5QH, (01237) 431111. Specialises in lupins and sells plants and seeds by mail order. Send an A5 sae for a free catalogue.
• Plant World , St Marychurch Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4SE, (01803) 872939. Sells mail-order seeds.
• M Woodfield Wood End. Clifford Chambers, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8HR, (01789) 205618. Sells mail-order seeds.

WORDS AND STYLING JACKY HOBBS
PHOTOGRAPHS MICHELLE GARRETT
MAY 2004