When to plant and prune Lupin
Lupin flowers from late May to early July and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Lupin is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| East Anglia | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Northern England | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Northern Ireland | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to mid June | late May to early July | late June to early August |
Growing notes
Along with delphiniums, lupins are the classic slug and snail magnet in UK gardens: protect the new shoots from the moment they appear in spring, and stake the taller Russell types. They are short-lived and have a tap root, so division rarely works — raise replacements from seed or basal cuttings.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 45 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 110 cm
- Eventual spread
- 60 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Feeding
Little feeding needed; a spring mulch is enough and rich soil makes soft, floppy growth.
Pruning group
Cut spent flower spikes back to the base to encourage a second flush; trim off the leaves once they die down after the first frosts.
What usually goes wrong
- slugs and snails on new shoots
- lupin aphid
- powdery mildew
- short-lived plants
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for lupin.