Flowering Raspberry vs Silky Lupine - TreeTime.ca

Flowering Raspberry vs Silky Lupine

Rubus odoratus

Lupinus sericeus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Flowering Raspberry
Silky Lupine

The Flowering Raspberry is an ornamental shrubby plant that blooms with fragrant light purple flowers throughout the summer and has a large, decorative foliage of bright green leaves. The flowers resemble that of a wildrose, and the foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall. This cultivar produces small red raspberries, similar to that of a thimbleberry, but the fruit is mostly tasteless.

The Flowering Raspberry, also known as Virginia Raspberry or Purple-Flowered Raspberry, makes a great hedge plant and is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Silky Lupine is a native perennial wildflower known for its upright spikes of blue to violet flowers. Blooming from late spring into summer, the nectar-rich, showy blossoms attract a variety of pollinators, especially bees and butterflies. The plant’s fine, silky foliage provides soft texture and visual interest, enhancing landscapes throughout the growing season.

Silky Lupine is a nitrogen-fixing plant that enriches soils and supports surrounding vegetation. Its deep roots stabilize soil, and it spreads naturally by ejecting seeds from drying pods. If spread isn’t desired, new seedlings are easy to remove. While it is foraged by some wild animals, it contains alkaloids that are toxic to livestock. Silky Lupine is well-suited to pollinator gardens, naturalization plantings, erosion control, and ecological restoration projects.

Flowering Raspberry Quick Facts

Silky Lupine Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: toxic to sheep and other livestock
Foliage: Silky-haired, palmately compound leaves
Bark: thornless orange
Flowers: purple
Flowers: Blue to violet pea-like flowers
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Berries: red to purple, seedy
Firmness: firm
Flavor: tasteless
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: purple-flowered raspberry, virginia raspberry