One of my favorite plants to use in Cottage gardens and New Country Gardens are Lupins. Or more excactly the perennial Lupinus Polyphyllus or Russel hybrids. Even without the spiky blooms , the palmated foliage and plants look like a small group of miniature palm trees. They are shortlived herbaceous perennial plants, with a lifespan of about 4 years. As other members of the legume family, they have small nodulated feeder roots caused by Bradyrhizobium soil bacterias on the roots, that makes the plants able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into ammonia, fertilizing the soil for other plants. It is very hard to divide the tap roots and get more plants, but they selfseed willingly. Only problem is that the seedlings may not turn out the same color as their parents. Color is very important in plant combinations when designing mixed borders. It is possible to grow some really pretty Lupins from seeds or buy these as young plants from nurseries. Some of these varieties are:
Lupinus polyphyllus 'La Chatelaine' -Blush pink and White
Lupinus polyphyllus 'Fraülein'- pure White
Lupinus polyphyllus 'Kronleuchter' - Light yellow
Lupinus polyphyllus 'Mein Schloss' Red
Lupinus polyphyllus 'Kastellan' - Blue/purple
Lupinus regalis 'Chandelier' - Light yellow
The blue/purple lupins seems to be more hardy. The seedlings of these will eventually dominate groups of lupins growing wild. Since these are my favorite colours, and I want to make sure to get this colour, I each year seek out places with those wild lupins. This way I can get these plants for free! I look for good seedlings and dig these up, before they have gotten tap roots.
I bring a little water sprayer, and make sure the roots are moist, and place the seedlings in large ziplock bags. I also make sure to bring a little soil, from the place where they grew, to get some of the Bradyrhizobium soil bacterias. At home I pot the Lupin seedlings (in small pots, using potting soil and a little soil from the place I dug up the lupin seedling). I plant 3 seedlings in each pot, to get a dense plant that will produce more flower spires.
During the summer or early fall, I plant them where I want them and they will flower next year, growing about 2-3 feet tall the first year and 3-4 feet tall the second-fourth year.
After they have flowered in may-june, I cut the plants back and they will repeat flower a bit in late august-september. It is important to cut them back since it ensures a longer lifespan of the plants, if they are not allowed to selfseed. If we as gardeners choose to grow these plants, it is important not to allow these plants to become invasive, by allowing the plants to selfseed. In some countries, they are considered invasive, unwanted plants. But I think they are wonderful and beautiful garden plants, and both I, bees and butterflies, seems to be drawn to their spicy fragrance. I also like lupins as cut flowers, even if they only have a short vaselife of 3 days.
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13 comments:
I adore Lupins but had bad luck with aphids attacking them.
I will try again.
As you a lot about roses, can I ask you if they have mosaic dissease is that the end of that plant. We 've had 'New Dawn' rose growing against the wall for last 9 years (wedding present!)and with years leaves are getting more and more covered with mosaic diss(checked on google ,definately looks like that). It still blooms a lot (at the moment) but leaves are not very green.
Grouped enmasse like that I can see why you love them, they do look beautiful.
There is a nursery called West Country Plants who specialise in breeding Lupins, that may intrest you.
I have always wondered what was their connection to Wolves though (Canis Lupus)
Best Wishes,
Zoë
PS, Your posts are appearing on Blotanical now, Yippee!
Zvrk: sorry to hear about the aphids and your virused rose. Your Virused New Dawn will not die from Rose Mosiac Virus. It came with the plant you got, but like you have observed the discoulored leaves can be annoying. It may cause the rose to become smaller than it otherwise would and some flowers can become deformed or smaller than normal In my experience it does not spread to other roses in the garden, so if your rose blooms a lot I would keep it.
Zoë: Nature created the mass planting on a nearby meadow. It shows how invasive the plant can become! that is why I like to control where the plants grow in gardens and not allow them to selfseed in gardens. (Gardens are not nature - but culture).
Thanks for the heads up on the west country palnts nursery I will check it out.
Yes I also figured out how to do that feed - thing! Glad to see it worked!
Although I don't have lupines in my garden, I really love them with their blue blossoms. Yours are simply gorgeous!
So glad you came by the blog and commented on your new temple in Copenhagen. We've got a "senior" couple leaving in a month or two to serve a mission in Denmark. The Adams are so excited as Bro. Adams served his mission there as a young elder years ago. They are THRILLED about the new temple in Copenhagen.
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Thank you for stopping by Cindy! Yes I found your blog today and discovered that we had something else in common than gardening. You really are a great photographer! I look forward reading more of your blog. Perhaps I will have the plesure of meeting Sister and Brother Adam, if they come to the second largest city, Aarhus, where I live. Another Elderly couple, The Smiths, were here and really enjoyed my roses. Tell the Adams hello and that we look forward meeting them and that we will pray for them since Denmark is a difficult mission, even though the people are really nice here.
I love your first photo with the mass of lupins. They grow wild along the roadways here in Nova Scotia, and will be blooming at the end of the month.
I agree with Chey -- that first photo is spectacular. I live in Nova Scotia as well, and lupines grow abundantly in fields and roadsides, and even near beach fronts. They are hardy, indeed, and you're right -- I believe that purple color is dominant as many patches of mixed color will eventually turn mostly purple.
Thank you for stopping by Chey And Nancy. I really like the picture of the girl picking lupines too. It shows how lupins can selfseed and create masses of lupins. The reason why it spreads along roads are that the pea sized seeds get stuck in tires and carried long dstances. Many find it hard to grow delphiniums, and I think lupins have that same look. And they are way less fuzzy and does not need support. So IMO lupins should be used more in gardens, but be controlled so they don´t selfseed and spreads to nature. Later this month I will travel to go flyfishing for salmon. I have read that Nova Scotia has great salmon rivers and seen wonderful pictures of the nature there. In Norway along many of the salmon rivers there are lots of lupins too. I look forward seeing your blogs too.
Hej Niels!
Du tar underbara foton på dina blommor. Håller med dig om att lupiner är fantastiska. Jag har faktiskt tänkt att plantera ngr i vår trädgård, kanske till hösten.
Tack för din kommentar på min blogg - nu börjar trädgården ta form. Som tur är har mina grannar uppväxta trädgårdar där jag får njuta av fina syréner, fruktträd, pioner...
Ha det bra i sommarvärmen!
Hälsn. Karin
I've tried to grow lupins here in Egypt several times, but till not every time I try they just die out after having a good start. They tend to die after the second set of true leaves have emerged. My guess was that they wilted and died due to the absence of Bradyrhizobium in the soil. The part of the stem touching the soil starts to become pink in color and then the plant wilts and dies. I'm now having a further trial with lupins, still without the needed bacteria though, yet I hope it will work this time. Let's wait and see.
Hei Nils!
I love them, but my mom have tried them in her garden, and they spread too willingly, turning almost into a weed.
What is your opinion_
Inger
I am wondering where your garden is located? I have been reading about lupins and want to try some, but I live in the south USA and have read that they might be "winter annuals" here.
Beautiful website and lupin photo. I to have a passion for gardens and lupins. I''d like to share with you my video of the wild lupins of the South Island of New Zealand. Such a magnificent spectacle.
Thank you for your very interesting blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc2UJPEPDw4
From Cheryl Gold Coast Australia
bellamoon@bigpond.com
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