Lupinus 'Gallery Yellow'

Lupinus 'Gallery Yellow': A Butter-Yellow Lift Up Front

'Gallery Yellow' is the soft-spoken one at the art opening who somehow leaves with everybody's phone number. Creamy yellow pea flowers on fragrant spikes. THE BEES WANT A PRIVATE VIEWING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Lupinus 'Gallery Yellow'
• Common Name: Lupine
• Height: 45–60 cm (18–24 in) in flower
• Spread: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Flowers: Soft, creamy yellow pea-like blooms, sometimes with white tones, on dense, fragrant spikes
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July), with a smaller second flush possible after deadheading
• Foliage: Bright green, palm-shaped leaves in a bushy clump
• Features: Fragrant, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Mass it in a sunny border, or tuck a few into the front of a cottage bed for an early-summer lift. It also works well as a cut flower.

Companion Plants: Heliopsis 'Summer Nights' stands behind at 120 to 180 cm and carries orange flowers from July to September, picking up where the yellow lupines leave off. Lobelia cardinalis adds red spikes at 60 to 120 cm over the same months. At the front, Sanguisorba 'Little Angel' brings burgundy bobbles at 20 to 30 cm from June to September. These all grow in full sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to light shade, in well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil. Skip the rich compost and heavy fertilizer. Lupines dislike soggy winter soil, especially heavy clay, so give it good drainage. Water through the first season and during long dry spells. It grows a deep taproot and resents being moved or divided. Cut the faded spikes for a chance at more flowers, but leave a few to set seed, since lupines are often short-lived and seedlings keep the planting going. Hose off aphids if they show up. Cut the foliage back in late fall.

History: The Gallery Series is a seed strain of compact hybrid lupines, sold in a range of single colours for gardeners who want the classic spikes on a shorter plant. Lupines are legumes whose roots host bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air, which is why they grow happily in poor, sandy soil.

Final Thoughts: Plant it beside the blues and purples and let it calm everybody down. The deer pass right by. QUIET CONFIDENCE SELLS.