Someone may correct me, but I believe if they are grown by seed they will not bloom until the second year, but if by cutting they will bloom the first year. If the plant is small you may want to pot them in a one gallon container and nurse it along and then plant in the garden in the fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

Linda - It's really hard to say what they are selling, because they could be buying in Lupines that have been vernalized, and it's really hard to tell just by looking at the plant if it is small because of it's age, or because it is coming out of dormancy. I wouldn't expect it to be in bloom yet - the natural bloom time is early summer. At any rate, there ARE cultivars of Lupines that bloom first year from seed - most notably the "Gallery" series.

I thought the actual issue is whether it's first, second, etc. year after PLANTING, not in the pot - ?.

Even a more mature plant may not bloom well (sometimes not at all) its first year in the ground.

When I tell someone the age of my plants, I always count from when I planted it no matter how old it may have been from the nursery. I'm sure the trees I've bought weren't in their first year when I bought them, but I call it their first year in the ground.

As for whether the lupine will bloom, I bought two potted ones at a nice nursery near me. One of them bloomed that first year but the other one didn't. They were fairly small when I bought them. So based on my experience you have a 50/50 chance.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your responses!