Lupins

[sindy]

Hello there,
Can anyone give me some advice on lupins, my father died last year and he gave me some lupin seeds. I really want to grow them this year but i want to be able to keep them, i have a rented house with no soil in the garden so could i grow these in a pot, what happens to them in the winter, and could i transfer them from the pot when i buy my own house into the garden i long for. sorry im new to this gardening

[Leeder]

In my experience, Lupins are very easy to grow from seed and keep.

I grow them both in pots and in the little soil that I have with no problem, however they can grow quite large and top heavy, so you would need to watch the pots don't tip over in the wind.

If you cut each flower off as it dies off before it goes to seed, you will have flowers all summer and the bees absolutely love lupins.

Lupins are herbaceous, I just cut them down when the season is over and keep them in their pots or mark the spot in the garden (so I don't accidently dig them up) and they magically appear again in the spring.

I have transferred several of my lupins from pots into the front garden with no problems.

Hope this helps and happy gardening.


*Edited to add - A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die at the end of the growing season to the soil level. Lupins are herbaceous perinnals, which means they come back every year.

[sindy]

so if i grew them in pots then put them out in a large crate ive made in the garden, when the season is finished i can get the seeds from them and start all over again next year, or should i dig up the plant and re pot it for next year. sorry but i really dont want to loose the lupins as they were my dads and it wil be nice to have alittle of my dad in the garden, i also want to take them with me when we move later in the year, thanks so much for advice

[smallblueplanet]

When you plant them out from the pot you've started them off in, wait until they've grown to a reasonable size (maybe 9" or more) because they can be an absolute magnet for slugs and snails and they will devour the small plants/seedlings. They should overwinter fine, as long as the ground is too wet. Again though in spring when they're small watch out for munchers!

If the seeds are 'fresh' you'll probably get a good germination rate, you won't have to plant all the seeds at once, you can also save some of the seeds to sow next year. We've just planted/germinated some seeds from a pkt thats been opened at least 3 years ago. Keep them somewhere dark, cool and dry. Ours are in paper pkts, then in a tupperware box. If you keep them somewhere like a shed, make sure they're in a secure tin otherwise 'vermin' might get at them.

They are fairly straightforward to grow from seed, just watch out for those munching snails & slugs!

[Leeder]

You can take seeds to plant more plants or just leave the existing plants to die off and they will grow again next year or do both, it's really up to you.

No need to dig them up and re pot them, just make sure you know what plants are in what pots (I don't know which pots have my hostas in and which have lupins in at the moment and have to wait for them to peep above the soil).

Hope this makes sense.

[jeannine]

I agree with SBP, lupins are a magnet for slugs and snails - if you're really keen to keep your plants growing, pop a young plant or two in a big container with a strip of copper tape round it just to be on the safe side.

Apologies in advance if you already know this, but if you're new to gardening, bear in mind with container growing that each pot needs a hole in the bottom for drainage and they can dry out surprisingly quickly in summer, so add some water retaining gel (it's cheap at Wilkinsons) and choose the biggest containers you can.

Good luck with your growing! Post some pics in summer if you get a chance!!!

[sindy]

thanks everyone for all the advice, i should of said originally that the crate im planting them in will not be coming with us on the move thats why i needed to find out how to transplant them to take with me.

[Flyinscots]

Lupins

In my experience, Lupins are very easy to grow from seed and keep.

I grow them both in pots and in the little soil that I have with no problem, however they can grow quite large and top heavy, so you would need to watch the pots don't tip over in the wind.

If you cut each flower off as it dies off before it goes to seed, you will have flowers all summer and the bees absolutely love lupins.

Lupins are herbaceous, I just cut them down when the season is over and keep them in their pots or mark the spot in the garden (so I don't accidently dig them up) and they magically appear again in the spring.

I have transferred several of my lupins from pots into the front garden with no problems.

Hope this helps and happy gardening.


*Edited to add - A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die at the end of the growing season to the soil level. Lupins are herbaceous perinnals, which means they come back every year.

Hi there when u say cut flowers back do you mean individual heads or the whole stem the flower is on
Many thanks

[veggiechicken]

Hello and welcome to the Forum, Flyinscots
Leeder, whose post you've quoted, hasn't been here since 2008. Hopefully, somebody else will be along soon who grows lupins and can help you.

[Guest]

Hi there when u say cut flowers back do you mean individual heads or the whole stem the flower is on
Many thanks

Hi and welcome to the vine.

It is individual heads.

[cheops]

Can I just add the following - if you plant the seeds you take from the lupin flowers you will not get the same colours as the adult plant you took the seeds from. Also, if you plant the seeds this summer I would do so in small individual pots and transplant out into soil or the intended large pot NEXT late spring where they will 'take off' and flower for the first time. And the following year will be even bigger and bolder. They are a beautiful plant, wonderful for the local bees and a wonderful tribute and memory to your late father.