Lupines Not Looking Good!

My in-laws brought back a pack of Russell Hybrid Lupines from their trip to Canada last year. I planted them in the fall. The leaves came up this Spring / Summer but no flowers and now the leaves look terrible! What's wrong with them? Some of them are crunchy like they're dry but some have this red on them. Is that rust? Does the no-blooming mean they won't bloom next year either? Should I pull them out and dissappoint my in-laws! They look ugly and are taking up space in the front flower bed but if they'll recover, I'll leave them. Thanks for your help! I'm in Ohio so maybe the weather is just not conducive.

I'm not sure what happened to yours, but they should normally grow fine in your area. I grew up in Cleveland and remember my mom had lupines in the garden, and I saw people with them when I lived in Cincinnati as well. However, while your climate might generally be fine for them, I know a lot of people have had a lot of weird weather this year, so if you had a lot of rain earlier in the year that could cause some problems. The black on the edges of the leaves suggests that they might have been exposed to too much moisture, and probably the leaves stayed wet for too long. This could happen if you have a long rainy spell, or it can happen if you water too much, or even if you water the right amount but use overhead watering and/or water in the evening. There are probably other things that could cause those symptoms as well though, so if you didn't have a ton of rain earlier and you know you've been watering properly then maybe it's something else.

ecrane - thanks for your reply! Although, I've been a member for a year, I've never posted and was anxious to see if someone would answer me! We did have a whole mess of rain here in June I think it was. I thought it was never going to stop raining! The leaves looked good earlier in the spring so it makes sense that too much rain could have caused the issue. Thanks again!

I bet that's what it is then, soggy weather can definitely cause things like that. The good news is as long as you don't continue to have weird weather I think the plants will be fine in the long run. I'm pretty sure these lupines are biennials, so typically they should grow the first year and then bloom in the second year, so don't worry if they didn't bloom this year, they should do it next year.

Ha! You just solved a mystery to me! I've had these 2 lupines since fall and they never bloomed...then that's why!

Well, usually when you plant a biennial in the fall that is considered its first year, and it will bloom in the following year. Anyway, that's how it works here, with mild winters.

pentas butterfly - I just saw this thread and wanted to comment because my lupines have done that every year since they've been planted. I believe it is just their way of going somewhat dormant at least that is what it seems like to me. Mine usually look really good up to the point of flowering and then wither away slowly sometimes even disappearing until the next year. I started a bunch from seed this year and they all look awful like the ones you showed and worse. They were all fine until the weather started getting hot. Even self seeded ones are completely browned up and crispy now. I think you should leave them and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised next year when they grow and flower for you.

Thank you all for your replies! If I had realized they were bi-annuals, I would have placed them elsewhere. As it is, I put them in my front garden and they were an eye sore when they turned rusty brown. I had company coming to town in early August and finally pulled the Lupines replacing them with Russian Sage! Guilty! I wanted my garden to look good for company! There is one little guy (lupine) that popped up again and he looks healthy so I'm just going to let him go. The roots did look well established when I pulled them so I bet they would have done well next year. Darn - I needed more patience. I think I will try Lupines again but put them in a spot where they can look bad for a while if they need to. I've learned a lot about Lupines from your replies! Thank you!