I think the main difficulty with lupins (as with delphiniums and hostas) is slugs. If you can get rid of the slugs, the lupins will stay for years. We use mineralised wheat straw mulch, sold in England under the name 'Strulch'. Some ATP people have said they can't find it in the US, but from what I've read it was developed in the USA and brought over to us by an American. But even if it's not available there, I'm sure there are alternative ways of dealing with slugs... I'd be happy to send you some lupin seeds if you like, in late summer?
