Longfellow's Greenhouses Online Plant Guide

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

A stunning bi-color hybrid producing thick spikes of eye catching burgundy-purple and yellow flowers; a tremendous visual impact massed in the garden, border plantings or containers; deadhead for extended bloom period; great for cut flower gardens

Ornamental Features

Westcountry™ Manhattan Lights Lupine features bold spikes of plum purple pea-like flowers with yellow overtones rising above the foliage from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its palmate leaves remain emerald green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Westcountry™ Manhattan Lights Lupine is an herbaceous perennial with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Westcountry™ Manhattan Lights Lupine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Westcountry™ Manhattan Lights Lupine will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 3 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in clay soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.