Lupins, or lupine as they’re often known, provide striking colour and height in the garden, particularly when used as a border plant. But how much do you know about this fascinating flower?

Lupins have a very distinctive appearance. Their tall and upright spikes are densely packed with rows of tiny flowers and they come in a host of gorgeous colours, such as shades of red, pink, blue, purple, orange, yellow or white.

Lupins have the clever ability to change the nitrogen in the atmosphere into ammonia, which helps fertilise the soil for other plants.

The flowers usually burst forth in the early summer, about the same time as roses flower, and they continue for six to eight weeks. If the dead heads are removed, they can produce late flowers in the early autumn, too.

Lupins are related to legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils.

Lupins are one of the many flowers that bees are attracted to, so if you’d like more bees in your garden, get planting lupins!

The Romans used lupin seed as a form of protein. They roasted the seeds of sweet white lupins and made them into a drink – a bit like coffee.

The Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is the state flower of Texas in America.

Some types of lupin seeds, especially from the newer hybrids, contain bitter-tasting toxins and are poisonous to humans and animals.

Some types of lupin are grown purely for use in livestock and poultry feed, as well as for use in lupin flour for humans. These types contain fewer toxic alkanoids and are often called sweet lupins.

Lupin flour is usually made in Chile and is used in some food products, such as pastry, soup and pasta. However, it can cause allergic reactions in some people, including the most severe form of anaphylaxis.

The types of allergens found in lupin flour are very similar to those in peanuts, so anyone allergic to peanuts is recommended to also avoid lupin flour.

A special lupin banquet was held at a botanical meeting in Germany in 1917. To highlight the varying uses of the plant, the tablecloth was produced using lupin fibre, the cheese was made out of lupin albumen, they served lupin liqueur and lupin coffee, and even lupin soup.

By Rachel Newcombe