Foxgloves and Lupins.

Hi folks. Having just checked out some of my bought seed, I notice that these flowers are biennial and perennial respectively. Thing is, 'she who must be obeyed' wants the flowers THIS year. So, is it likely that garden centres will be selling these for flowering this year ? Cheers...freddy.

 

Quite often foxgloves flower in their first year if planted early enough, although they put on a better show in year two.

The wife grew some lupins from seed once and there were no flowers at all in the first year.

Both foxglove and lupins will be appearing in a garden centre near you any time now.

 

I bought two foxgloves last May/June...both where in flower and continued to flower last summer, I collectd seed from one of them and sowed last September, they are still very small....but I'm hopefull.

Steve...

 

Foxgloves for sale in garden centre will bloom this year. They also self seed all over the place but I've never had any luck with them doing that :(

Any lupin plants you buy now will also flower this summer.

 

Ok folks, thanks for your replies :thumb: I'll keep my eyes open for some plants down at the GC. Cheers...freddy.

 

Wow freddy i was going to ask about Foxgloves for my front garden, There really nice looking plants..Thanks for the advice everyone,

 

Hi youngdaisy. I used to think these types of plants were SO boring, always used to look for the unusual or exotic looking plants. Not any more ! For some reason (probably cos I'm getting old) I love the simplicity of some plants. I'm not saying Lupins and Foxgloves are simple, but I'm sure you get my meaning. I guess fashions come and go. but in the end, quality will out Cheers...freddy.

 

Bumble bees love foxgloves too, and I think that's an added bonus. I don't think a garden is anywhere near completely with stuff buzzing, fluttering or chirping in it.

 

Yeah Freddy, I wouldn't of looked twice at a foxglove but i saw i pic of one on another forum and i loved it, the flower reminded me "loosley" of a brug Anyway im going to give them a try and yes Clueless i love Buzzing Fluttering and Chirping also, which reminds me, when i was painting the Trellis today the birds were singing and it just reminded me of Spring :luv:

 

Sadly I have had to remove both these plants from my garden due to a plant eating Golden Retriever and soon to be baby as they are both poisonous - I am still pulling up self seeded foxgloves a year later however. I planted some lupin plants from the GC, in the first year they flowered nicely, in the second year they were fabulous. Watch out for lupin aphid, I nearly lost mine to this, they are mutants and I could only get rid of them with chemicals. I am jealous of your lupins already!!

 

My lupins were decimated in 2007 but came back in 2008. They are brilliant. As are foxgloves but i dont want to get on that rant.
GRUMPY OLD MOL

 

Freddy - you have obviously gathered that Lupins and Foxgloves are unlikely to give much flower this year if grown from seed. If "she who must be obeyed" really must be obeyed, it's going to cost you as you will have to buy plants.

However, don't waste your seeds. The secret of gardening is planning ahead, plus a bit of patience. Sow your seeds as you were going to, but treat both as biennials. I will sow both these and some other biennials at this time, and pot them up ultimately into about 6 inch pots (the bigger the pot the more they like it). Then I tuck them away in a quiet part of the garden, keep them watered and fed, and leave them till late autumn, when other plants have died down. Then they can be planted out.



This was the result about 16 months after sowing of Lupins and Hesperis (pale purple) grown this way. The benefit being that you get a good number of plants - anything up to a dozen of more, which will give a good show, and it will cost little more than the cost of the seeds themselves. And after the first year you can collect your own seeds for free



This is another favorite of mine. Salvia sclarea, which is also a biennial, grown the same way. When they have flowered you can leave them in place, as both Lupins and Foxgloves (and Hesperis) are true perennials. Or, as suggested by Christopher Lloyd, after they have flowered early in the season, you can replace them with late flowering perennials such as Dahlias, and grow new ones from seed. Whilst Lupins are perennial, Christopher Lloyd's view was that they went black after flowering and were so ugly that he didn't keep them.

 

Lovely looking lupins. I did the same last summer and have ended up with about 10 lupin plants now that got planted out late last year. They are showing promising signs of life now and if I can keep the slugs and snails off them, I should get a good display this summer. Hope so as OH loves lupins

 

Hi Peter, some great info there, and I must say that they really do look good (Lupins). Cheers...freddy.

 

Hi Freddy, Just been to B&Q looking for paint and accidentally came across a load of those offers they have-5 for £5, lupins, foxgloves, aquilegias geums, pinks allsorts-and for once they are in good nick. These will definitely flower this year. She who must be obeyed can be obeyed.