Lori, you are right. The text doesn't mention which species it is. However, both L. nootkatensis, perennis and polyphyllus are unwanted although they are rather common along the roads and railways.

L. perennis nootkatensis. Sorry - wrong name at the homepage!




From here:

http://www.vestlandsnatur.com/indexfiler/flora.html

He had about 4 tons of sand delivered to his house, and laid out a berm that was 15 feet long, 5 feet wide and 5 feet high. He dug a trench that 'outlined' the berm, and started filling it with sand, rock and various inorganic 'stuff' that would fill up space without either deteriorating or absorbing water. It was a massive thing, utterly stupefying when finished, which took him probably 2 months working alone. I helped him a bit when he was at the 3 foot level, primarily helping him place bigger rocks to create ledges and crevices.

When it was done he planted hundreds of cacti, and far too many other plants than I could ever recall. I do remember that he ended up with 4 or 5 enormous Penstemon barrettiae, which flowered spectacularly the first spring after the berm was constructed. He must have sown about 100 Lupine seeds directly into the berm the first year, and most of the seeds germinated, creating a spectacular display the 2nd year when most of them bloomed. The 3rd year there were self-sown seedlings all around, but that was the year he decided to quit Massachusetts and resettle in Virginia, a profound mistake in my opinion.

The berm was primarily laid out east to west lengthwise, with an interesting shaded area at the west end where he grew Lewisia tweedyi, L. cotyledon, and several other choice things that like a bit more shade but need perfect drainage.

Overall it was a magnificent, if briefly present, berm, which for me at least, proved that you could grow western dryland plants here in New England if you took the time and effort to create a 'perfect' environment. It is a shame Larry disappeared, because he was a truly gifted rock gardener.

This sounds really similar to Peter Korn's garden in Sweden, which is on an even more epic scale. When he talked to us on this he said he lived in one of the wettest parts of Sweden (60" annual rainfall), and didn't have consistant snow cover through winter (ie: fluctuating winter temperatures), and yet he grows an extraordinary range of plants from Lewisia tweedyi and hardy cacti, through to Meconopsis and Pulsatilla vernalis. Very much supports Lori's comments, although I would find it very hard to leave a garden like that!

An update on my results so far with Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis...
Over-wintering them doesn't seem to be the problem particularly here - it is more sustaining them through the summer after flowering that seems to be the trick...   
From the original two plants that I planted out in the lower part of my tufa garden, both came through one winter and bloomed in the second year from seed.  One plant, the one in the less-built up position of the two, rotted away after flowering. 
The other plant, slightly higher up in the bed, came through a second winter, bloomed again (in 2012), and then also appeared to rot off.  Both plants flowered extravagantly, and set a lot of seeds each time, which resulted in large numbers of seedlings coming up in place of the old plants.

I've moved a number of the seedlings to the new tufa beds, which have much better drainage and leaner conditions, and are built up significantly above the regular soil level, to see what their longevity is like there.