Lupine

I planted Lupine without expecting much and it's become one of the most satisfying things in my garden. naturalistic aesthetic that suits modern ecological gardens is something I couldn't have predicted from looking at it in a nursery. You only understand it once the plant is established and perform…

I don't have a garden so a naturalistic border at the edge of a garden is my only option for Lupine. It absolutely works — with the right attention to sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds you can get excellent results in containers. wide seasonal succession from spring to au…

Lupine is clearly a great plant — I can see that from other people's results. Mine has been decent but not spectacular, and I think I know why. I underestimated the importance of sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds in the early stages and paid for it. rabbits and slugs targ…

Lupine is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: rabbits and slugs targeting young seedlings. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage. Beyond that, self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting makes it one of my fa…

I'd had Lupine for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. wide seasonal succession from spring to autumn became m…

I started with one Lupine and now have four, all from propagation. The process is straightforward once you understand allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season — something I picked up from trial and error rather than any guide. I display them in a wildflower meadow replacing l…

I nearly gave up on Lupine after three months of mediocre results. Then I focused properly on avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers and within a few weeks the difference was dramatic. It now lives in a wildflower meadow replacing lawn areas and has genuinely transformed th…

I planted Lupine primarily for ornamental reasons. What I didn't anticipate was the wildlife it would attract. naturalistic aesthetic that suits modern ecological gardens seems to be particularly appealing to bees and butterflies during the main growing period. I grow it in a container with a meado…

After growing Lupine for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers will happen and you…

I've grown several varieties within the Lupine family and have some observations to share. self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting varies noticeably between them, more than catalogue descriptions suggest. The care fundamentals are shared — scarifying or scratching the soil before sow…