The silver bush lupine grows into a rounded shrub growing 3-5 ft. tall with silky gray-green leaves. Blue to purple flowers grow on 8-12 in. long spikes from early to late spring. This highly adaptable California native lupine occurs across much of our state in grassland, foothill, valley and desert habitats where it is appreciated as part of the spring wildflower display. It has yet to become popular in residential gardens except by native plant enthusiasts. Its best performance occurs when planted in sunny locations on well drained soils and provided with periodic deep summer water. It grows well with other California native species in mixed shrub and wildflower plantings that endure summer heat, sun and extended periods of moisture stress.
Silver bush lupine
Lupinus albifrons
Description
Plant properties
Water needs
Maintenance
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Mounding
Growth Rate: Fast
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Purple, Blue
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Coastal salt air, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Flowering accent plant, Borders, Banks, Attracts butterflies
Height: 3 ft. – 5 ft.
Width: 4 ft. – 6 ft.
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Mounding
Growth Rate: Fast
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Purple, Blue
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Coastal salt air, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Flowering accent plant, Borders, Banks, Attracts butterflies
Height: 3 ft. – 5 ft.
Width: 4 ft. – 6 ft.
Watering Schedule: Very Low
For most situations, we recommend watering deeply less than once per month after establishment.
Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.
Important Notes
- These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
- If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least a month. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
- If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
Tends to be short lived in most gardens (S). Dead head after blooms fade and lightly prune to clean up form. Do not cut into old wood, it will not regrow (3).
References
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