Lupins
Lupins – total love (lolz everything on here at the moment is total love..) I grew these for the first time in 2019 as my mother wanted to do some amazing display buckets for my brother and his now wife’s wedding day. I didn’t grow them from seed – I picked up a few from one of our local garden nurseries while they were seedlings or just past and they grew into gorgeous – and they were gorgeous plants / flowers – I grew them in pots and kept them in pots… they have come back every year since (mum told me she could never keep them in the garden – so tbh I have not tried since… ummm 2021 I might just give it a go…)
So in sowing – I have to say I have had pretty good germination rates – I did autumn sowing 2020 and now spring sowing.
BEWARE – THESE ARE A SERIOUS FEAST FOR SLUGS
These seeds are planted in Coir tea baggy things 2021 and have honestly germinated and got to this position in a few days… lets hope they don’t bolt and then keel over!!!
Above are some more the germination of the Sutton seeds I planted – bottom of this picture are Johnsons (different manufacture and differend seed)
I will get some Autumn sown ones photographed and post – if I’m honest I think these are a go-er – other than needing to be totally on top of the slugs they are great.
General Tips
- Full sun light
- Long tap root…
- Mildew… ummmm watch for this when in greenhouse – all I can really say is ventilate ventilate ventilate
- SLUGS I cant say enough if you are not going to have some kind of way – (whatever that is) that you happy to deal with slugs then these are not worth it as you will have NOTHING – slugs will eat the lot!!! If planting in containers can also put slug pellets underneath the pot.
- You can take cutting from Lupins see @anya_thegarden_fairy she is propagating a Lupin by division – the one in this video is a year old.
- Soak seed overnight in warm water before sowing. Place seed on the surface of good free draining compost and cover with a sprinkling of compost or vermiculite to the seeds own depth. Place container in a propagator or a warm place at a temperature of 15-20°C (59-68°F) until after germination, which usually takes 18-21 days. (from King Seed).