Lupinus polyphyllus My Castle - Large-leaved Lupine

The perennial Russell Lupin or Lupinus polyphyllus 'My Castle' Red offers tall upright spikes in June and July, in a range of purple, red and carmine pink hues. This renowned variety is robust and offers a vibrant colour. Its tall, fragrant inflorescences, majestic and vertical, tower above beautiful bushy clumps of finely divided leaves. Easy to sow in situ, it can flower from the first year. It is a low-maintenance plant that thrives in ordinary soil, as long as it is deep, moist, and free from limestone, and in full sun.

It is widely accepted that Russell hybrid lupins are hybrids obtained through the cross-breeding of Lupinus polyphyllus, a perennial plant native to North America, and Lupinus hartwegii, an annual Mexican species. The best of them were patiently selected in the 1930s by a gardener named George Russell, a passionate lupin enthusiast. Since then, other enthusiasts have taken over and dedicated themselves to producing robust, floriferous, and highly reliable varieties. 'My Castle' is one of the most well-known cultivars, a variety that is part of the 'Band of Nobles' series which includes some celebrities like 'The Chandelier', 'The Chatelaine', and 'The Governor'. It is a vigorous herbaceous perennial plant, forming clumps at least 90cm (35in) tall when in flower and 60cm (24in) wide, with rapid growth. In late spring and early summer, in June-July, it displays plump spikes, sometimes reaching 50 cm (20in) in length, somewhat stiff-looking but remarkably graphic, densely filled with pea-like flowers measuring 1 to 3cm (0.5 to 1in) in shades of red-pink with a purple standard. Note that the flowers have a pleasant fragrance. The lush green foliage stands out from other legumes due to its palmate leaves with at least 5 leaflets radiating from a single petiole.

Perfect for poor and light soils, as long as they are free from limestone, perennial lupins readily self-seed in suitable gardens, providing a profusion of often fragrant spikes in rainbow colours. Softened their somewhat stiff silhouettes with plants with rounded curves, such as roses and Oriental poppies, in matching colours. They thrive in the company of hollyhocks and peonies, creating attractive low-maintenance borders. In natural areas, associate them with sainfoin, lucerne, vetches, and grasses.