Masterpiece opens red-purple buds into violet flowers marked with an orange fleck, carried in dense spires. Lupinus polyphyllus Westcountry 'Masterpiece' grows 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in full sun, hardy from Zone 4 through Zone 9.
Bloom comes in late spring and early summer. The Westcountry lupines are grown from cuttings rather than seed, so the color comes true rather than varying plant to plant the way seed strains do.
The foliage is palmate and blue-green, holding water droplets on the leaf surface after rain.
Lupines want full sun, well-drained soil, and slightly acidic ground, and they resent being moved once established. They are short-lived, usually three or four years, and cutting the flower spikes after bloom encourages a second flush and prolongs the plant. Deer leave them alone.