Compact Annual Lupine

Pixie Delight Lupine

Lupinus hartwegii nanus

Also listed in horticultural trade as Lupinus mexicanus 'Pixie Delight'

A compact mixed-color annual lupine with upright flower spikes in blue, pink, violet and white

Pixie Delight Lupine is a compact annual lupine developed for colorful flowering without the height of larger lupine types. Plants produce upright spikes of pea-like flowers in a mixture of blue, violet, pink and white above distinctive palmate green foliage. Its shorter growth habit makes Pixie Delight especially useful in annual wildflower plantings, borders, containers and pollinator-oriented areas.

Pixie Delight Lupine - Lupinus hartwegii nanus
Scientific Name Lupinus hartwegii nanus
Life Cycle Annual
Typical Height Approximately 12–24 Inches
Flower Colors Blue, Pink, Violet & White

Wildflower Characteristics

Why Plant Pixie Delight?

Pixie Delight provides the characteristic flower spikes and palmate foliage of a lupine in a shorter, mixed-color annual form.

C

Compact Growth

Plants generally remain much shorter than large perennial lupines, making them useful where a lower-growing lupine is preferred.

M

Mixed Flower Colors

Flower spikes contain shades of blue, violet, pink and white for a varied seasonal display.

P

Pollinator Interest

Pea-like flowers can attract bees and other visiting pollinators during the spring and early-summer bloom period.

L

Legume Family

Pixie Delight is a member of the Fabaceae family, with the distinctive palmate leaves and flower structure associated with lupines.

Where It Fits

Best Uses for Pixie Delight Lupine

Pixie Delight works especially well where compact growth and multiple lupine flower colors are desired without the height of traditional lupine plantings.

Annual Wildflower Plantings Adds mixed lupine colors and upright flower spikes to diverse annual wildflower displays.
Pollinator Plantings Provides another flowering legume component for diversified pollinator-oriented areas.
Borders & Smaller Areas Its compact growth habit makes it useful where larger lupines would be too tall or dominant.
Containers The shorter growth habit also makes Pixie Delight better suited to container and patio plantings than many taller lupine types.

Establishment & Management

Growing Pixie Delight Lupine

Pixie Delight performs best in well-drained soil with adequate light and good seed-to-soil contact during establishment.

Sunlight

Full sun is preferred for strong flowering, although plants can tolerate some partial shade.

Soil & Drainage

Well-drained soil is important. Pixie Delight can perform on relatively lean soils and does not require high fertility for successful flowering.

Seed Establishment

Lupine seed has a relatively hard seed coat. Maintain adequate moisture after planting while avoiding persistently saturated soil.

Annual Growth Cycle

Pixie Delight completes its primary growth and flowering cycle within one season rather than forming a long-lived perennial stand.

Compact Mixed Lupine

Lupine Color Without the Tall Growth

Pixie Delight is useful where the appearance of traditional lupine flower spikes is desired in a more compact annual. The mixture combines several flower colors while typically remaining around one to two feet tall, allowing it to fit more easily into smaller beds, mixed annual plantings and container displays.

Looking for Pixie Delight Lupine Seed?

Contact Weaver Seed for current availability, quantities, packaging or help incorporating Pixie Delight Lupine into an annual wildflower, pollinator or custom seed mixture.

Contact Weaver Seed