Manhattan Lights Lupin

• Variety: Manhattan Lights
• Latin name: Lupinus polyphyllus 'Manhattan Lights'
• Type: Hardy herbaceous perennial
• Flower: Imperial purple and soft yellow bicolour
• Height: 75–90cm
• Spread: 65–75cm
• Flowering: June to August (with deadheading)
• Scent: Lightly fragrant
• Hardiness: Fully hardy (H5)
• Series: Westcountry. Bred in Devon. PBR protected
• Sold as: P9 and 2-litre pot-grown plants, grown on by us
• Plant outdoors: Spring or autumn
• Delivered: Spring and autumn. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Manhattan Lights Lupin – Purple and Gold Spires

Manhattan Lights is the lupin for gardeners who want something that looks exotic without any of the associated drama. The flower spikes are bicolour: imperial purple at the tips (the part lupin growers call the balloon) with soft yellow at the base of each petal. The two colours meet without blending, so you get a clean, graphic stripe effect running up the full length of the spike. It's one of those plants that people stop and ask about.

The spikes reach 75–90cm on sturdy stems that don't need staking. That's one of the real advantages of the Westcountry series. They were bred for garden performance, not the show bench, and the habit is self-supporting and compact. Plant a group of three or five and the effect in June is worth the border space for the rest of the year.

The Westcountry Breeding Programme

Manhattan Lights is part of the Westcountry series bred by Sarah Conibear at Westcountry Nurseries in North Devon. She started selecting lupins in 1996 after watching a Channel 4 programme about them and hasn't stopped since. The nursery holds the National Collection of Lupins, the only one in the UK, and has won four Chelsea gold medals for their lupin displays. These aren't Russell hybrids crossed from seed. Every Westcountry lupin is tissue-cultured, which means each plant is genetically identical to the original selection. You get exactly the colour on the label, not a seedling approximation.

Border Partners for Manhattan Lights

The purple-and-yellow colour scheme is strong enough to anchor a planting on its own, but it combines well with other members of the Westcountry range. Polar Princess in pure white provides breathing space between the bolder colours, while Red Rum adds warm red for a traffic-stopping display. For a June succession, plant with alliums. The purple drumsticks of Allium hollandicum weave through the lupin spires at the same height. Lavender at the border edge picks up the purple theme and carries it through July and August after the lupins have finished their main flush.

Why Ashridge?

We buy Manhattan Lights as licensed young plants and grow them on in peat-free compost using biological pest controls. The plants we send you are established and ready to perform, not liners fresh from a lab. And every plant is guaranteed. The same team that grows your lupins packs your order and answers your questions. See our full range of perennial plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do lupins come back every year?

Yes. Lupins are fully hardy herbaceous perennials. The top growth dies back completely in winter and new shoots emerge from the crown each spring. They're short-lived compared to some perennials: expect three to five good years — but in that time they'll get bigger and produce more spikes each season.

Can I grow Manhattan Lights lupin in a pot?

You can, in a large pot (at least 30cm deep) with free-draining compost. Lupins have deep taproots and don't enjoy sitting in wet compost, so mix in extra grit and raise the pot on feet through winter. Feed fortnightly during the growing season. They won't live as long in a pot as they would in the ground, but you'll get two or three good years.

What soil do lupins need?

Well-drained and neutral to slightly acidic. Lupins don't like lime and they don't like sitting in water. Sandy or loamy soils are ideal. On heavy clay, improve drainage by adding grit and organic matter, or grow in a raised bed. They fix their own nitrogen, so they don't need rich soil. Too much fertility gives you foliage at the expense of flowers.

How tall does Manhattan Lights grow?

The flower spikes reach 75–90cm depending on soil and conditions. The foliage mound beneath is about 50cm. Unlike some older lupin varieties, the Westcountry series was selected for sturdy stems that don't need staking. Even after rain the spikes stay upright.

Are lupins poisonous?

Yes, all parts of ornamental garden lupins are toxic if eaten, particularly the seeds. Keep them away from children and pets. Don't confuse these with agricultural sweet lupins (Lupinus albus), whose seeds have been eaten since Roman times. Ornamental hybrids haven't been bred for edibility and should never be consumed.