Big-leaf lupine: Our native invasive

Two words are bandied about in horticulture to describe such a range of plants that one wonders whether they still have meaning. "Native" and "invasive" are both so widely used when speaking of big-leaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) that it's easy to be confused about appropriate sitings and other plants in the genus.

I was introduced to this West Coast native by Kirsten Rohde at Sahale during the 2021 Northwest Permaculture Convergence. She showed me a pollinator garden she had planted with a packet of wildflower seeds, which included big-leaf lupine.

The garden thrived, particularly the peren...