When they get around 8" tall, take a 3.5 to 4" cutting. I use a community
pot and promix soil. I did over do it with the mother plants a couple
of times, but that does not matter because I have their progeny
all over my garden. I might have 15 from one plant. Also, if you
buy a potted plant, you can pull the plant out of the pot (plant plus soil)
you can find baby plants growing in the root mass on the outside.
They grow like cuttings too. I regard a phlox as a phlox factory.
So far I have taken cuttings from plants I started last year. It is a lot
of fun to do. 15 would be over the entire summer.
After you take the cutting, pinch off all the leaves on the stem and
leave the top two or three which are very small. That way the plant
focuses on growing roots. When taking cuttings, at least cut some
leaves off the stem so the plant will make roots not feed the leaves.
Lupines. I just had to add them to my garden.
Pippi, I believe lupins are in the pea family. They produce pea pods
of seeds. Let them dry on the plant or practically dry and then remove
the pea/seeds. Lupins respond to being soaked in hot water which you
change once or twice over 24 hours. This softens them and prepares
them to germinate. I soak mine, changing the water more frequently,
for a couple of days then plant them.
I tried sowing some annual Lupine seed this spring that I have bought from American Meadows. I direct sowed it dry and let the rain and mother nature take care of softening it. Many have sprouted and are on their second set (true leaves) of leaves. I am very curious how this will turn out.
I never tried annual lupine seed. Always just bought plants.
I love your lupine story. Here's mine: two years ago, having heard that lupines had once been a staple on the old garden I'm trying to resurrect, ignorant of special needs, I tried sowing some, trusting in my fairly extensive previous gardening skills in another zone. 3 little weak things came up, insignificant in my view of the general scheme of things, and I stuck them somewhere, moved them a few times, and eventually one survived. Last spring much to my amazement, it bloomed, a glorious paean to blueness. Wow! I was hooked.
I started buying seeds. Joined DG in December and started boning up. Couldn't WS, but soaked, nicked, chilled, boiled...I am now the proud parent of 5 Chatelaine (pink) and 5 Band of Nobles (mixed) and a few other odds and ends, including a couple of plugs acquired at a local nursery.
So happy lupine to us both, and happy spring.
Pam
BTW, gloriag, the 24 hour freeze works on lavender too. Last week beforee leaving for a few days I froze the seeds in a moist paper towel, then sowed, covered, put on a heat mat, and when I got back 1 week later they were all up strong!
I know some people have thought Lupines don't do well around here. But years ago before they built condos everywhere there used to be a big wild field around here that had a sea of lupines blooming each spring. So if they grew wild, they must be able to grow in a well kept garden. I think the problem was last summers excessive heat spell with 6 weeks of no mid summer rain. Of course I watered but its never the same thing.
Yes, we have native lupines here as well that bloom in the spring, though I believe that they are all annuals. I am going to be trying more kinds of lupine here and see what does best. You are right, Rita, they do not like the heat and would prefer it to be cool. Still our climate gets hot here every summer. Maybe that is why the annual lupines do so well as they just go to seed when the temps get hot and then they die.
I am trying annual Lupines this spring. I direct sowed them early March and then again Mid March as nothing was comming up. But it must have just been too early when I was first looking as they are comming up very well. Some are just starting with their first leaves while others are bigger and you can deffinately tell the typical lupine looking leaves. Still, these don't have the stunning vibrant colors of the perennial cultivated Lupines. I got my seeds from American Meadows.
Well, let's continue our lupine experiments and see what works for our very different areas. Thanks, Rita!
Anyone else growing lupines here in this forum?
My experiment of soaking lupine seeds in warm/hot water then
sowing outside is actually working. I gave up after a while, but it was
too early. After several weeks I have about 20 with first Lupine leaves. I just cannot
remember which are Tutti fruitti which are Russell. I do have about
3 WS pink gallery coming up in the jug too. Already I have planted
a few around. This year I plan to have a good number in the
weedy side beds. Our nursery has a wide selection of perennials in
small pots (& big plants,) so I bought 4 at $1.39 each; they are Russell
mixed.
I sow all lupine outside in winter. I guess you could call it wintersowing even if I did not put them in jugs. They are in peat/coir plugs now about half of them germinated without prior soaking. It is just that the pots get so wet that they do not need soaking. them I let them dry a bit before covering them completely. At first they started to mold, but when I took their cover off, they did just fine this time. I need to transfer them into either jumbo 6-packs or into 3 inch pots next. The last time I put them into regular size jumbo packs, very carefully and they seemed to be fine.
Now, in their second season they are getting up to size. I know I should fertilize, so maybe that is what I will do tomorrow after weeding that bed. That bed is really looking healthy with all new tiny starts, most from Bluestone or from seed, except the Delphinium 'Blue Mirror'. They are beginning to come back to life from their winter's rest.
Here it is all done, planted and mulched.
And another view.
Good job, Rita! Nice!
I have not seen lupin Popsicle advertised often. I found these
addresses for seed searches, and I thought some of you might
like to use them to find the special seeds you're looking for.
http://www.seed-finder.com
2) http://www.motherearthnews.com/find-seeds-plants.aspx
3) http://www.omniseedsearch.com/
Thanks, Gloria!
The Lupines have been growing like crazy since they got out of their pots and into the ground. Have gotten much more green.
Flower Spikes are coming.
I like this longer view as one can see the lupine garden in relation to the side yard were it is located. My old (and needs redoing) driveway there and the daylilies on the slope by the driveway side.
Very nice!
Wow, Rita! I can hardly wait to see the blooms!
Here's a page I found, if anyone is more interested in lupines...
http://www.lupins.org/lupins
I got my plants from Annies Nursery that I had ordered today. Got some Delphs too but I got 4 Lupine plants called THOMAS CHURCH that I saw in her catalog and flipped over. Great plants, I am very pleased. Got them all planted today. I put the Lupines out front in a spot were I had planted 4 The Govenor last spring but those died on me by fall. So I keep trying. But these are even prettier than The Govenor. Blue and yellow instead of the usual Blue and white.
Is Annie's Nursery online or is it local to you? There is one online based in Nebraska.
I have shopped at Annie's Annuals of which they have perennials as well. They are highly rated here at the Garden Watchdog. I did get a yellow bush lupine and a white lupine for my White Flower Border.
It is Annies Annuals which changed to Annies Annuals and Perennials and now Annies Nursery. Mail order in California I think. Great stuff and an amazing catalog.
One of the flower stalks is starting to get some color. It's the big Lupine Watch at my house until they finish blooming. I do just love, love, love the looks of the blooms.
Yes, it must be the same as Annie's Annuals (and Perennials) is here in CA, though southwest of here near San Francisco.
I like the long shot picture best, it's puts things into perspective.
Thats what I liked about that view. I have all these little "gardens" but they all tie together somehow. In that picture you can really see some of the garden layout of the area. Shrubs in the backround then the slope planted in daylilies. Looking down the driveway, one can just get a hint of the half round rose planter terraces out near the sidewalk.
Its "long shots" that tell the BIG story!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/779605/?hl=cement+bench these are pictures of a home I sold about 7 years ago now. I will never have the time or money to duplicate the gardens I had there. Oh well...
This message was edited May 7, 2011 2:06 PM
The first one of the Lupines started blooming.
The Lupine Garden today.
Very lovely, Rita! I look forward to seeing them all in bloom....it will be amazing!
Here are my lupines from last summer which were grown from seed (Russell Hybrids). Even have some babies in the garden this spring, glad too, cuz 1 of my plants looks alittle iffy this spring, tho is still early here (15" of snow overnight and this morning, lol.) Good Luck, Kathy.
You had 15 inches of snow, now? Oh my gosh I would go crazy if we had snow this late in the year. Many of my annuals are planted and my tomatoes and cucumbers are in for more than a week already.
I am getting more color on more bloom stalks that seem to be literally appearing overnight. I just love all the colors and color combos.
I am very excited to find a native lupine, Lupinus perennis, commonly known as Sundial lupine.
I just purchased 3 tiny plants at Bowman Hill Nature Preserves native plant sale.
Anyone familiar with this native lupine?
I have no experience growing it but I love the fact that is beautiful and native.
I've placed them in a dry sunny bed with a few silenes, S. caroliniana and S. virginica and am hoping for the best.
Any suggestions?
I am not familiar with your native Lupine although I know there are different ones. Not too sure about your dry area, I think lupines want plenty of water althought they need good drainage.
I have a native lupine here at 6800+ft, grows wild here on my acreage. I believe is related to Texas Blue Bonnet, will get pix and post, might be a couple of weeks. Yup, ended up with almost 18" of that white stuff yesterday,............ todays has all melted, phooey still to wet for garden work tho, or should I say garden enjoyment,lol. Anyone able to id this wildflower?
Lupine garden
Lupines today
