Lupins

when is the best time to sow seed in teh Greenhouse
B

 

wait for this really cold spell to pass and then go for it!

 

I sow mine outside in late summer, for planting out in Spring. Some people treat Lupins as biennials, although I have some that return each year.

Sow lots of them, so the slugs are overwhelmed and don't eat them all!

 

Like SussexG, I treat Lupins like biennials. I picked the idea up from Christopher Lloyd. When they have finished flowering I throw them out and replace them with late flowering plants, such as Dahlias or Cosmos. Unfortunately Lupins have tap roots and they tend to die when you lift them, otherwise I would have potted them up for next year.

But I had a bad year last year. I grew them in pots on a raised surface away from the slugs. But after I planted them out in the autumn, the slugs ate almost all of them. So this year my plants are still sitting in pots, on gravel, where hopefully they are more protected.

Everyone says file the seeds, but I stick them with a pin and leave them to soak in a saucer of water. Only after they have germinated in the saucer do I pot them up in compost.

 

I've germinated them without doing anything to the seeds first, but that may just be luck! They do take a while to appear though so might it this year.

 

I think all seeds will germinate by themselves - eventually. The object of scarification (ie scratching) is to break through the tough outer skin and make it happen faster and more reliably. After pricking, nearly all my Lupin seeds germinated within 2 to 4 days.

 

I have collected some seeds from my lupins in the garden. When can I sew them on the windowsill? And will they do anything this year?

 

You can sow them anytime you like Vicki, but there is no hurry. I tend to sow mine on 1st March, along with all my other seeds, and sometimes they flower a bit very late in the saeson. But generally they don't flower till the next year.

It may be that as you are in a warmer part of the country they will flower a bit more in the first year - but don't expect too much.

 

Sounds like good advice - thank you!

 

Just been reading a free gardening mag and someone asked about lupins not surviving into their second year. The expert does say they are 'short lived perennials' but also advises that you cut them right down when they finish flowering, to the ground. That way they fool them into thinking they haven't seeded and will also get a second flush of flowering in late summer. I tried this last year with some of them and it did work - been out in the garden (or mud bath I should say) just now and there are lupins poking their leaves out already...

 

SussexG said [highlight]there are lupins poking their leaves out already[/highlight]

It never ceases to amaze me how all through this cold weather we have been having, some plants are thriving and actively growing, whilst other less hardy ones are turning to mush. :D

 

Tell me about it! Very comforting to see though, that nature prevails, even in the worst of conditions.

 

Nature always prevails in some form and has been doing so before our species evolved.

 

Lupins can always be a bit tricky to grow, make sure the have well drained soil and lots of light. There's a plant solution checker on the RHS website you should have a look at. If you put in what you're trying to grow and what the conditions are etc, it will offer tips and advice - do you want me to send you a link?

 

Yes Please

To be honest, even though I am an RHS member, I never use the RHS site. I have always found it very messy and difficult to navigate. - I have probably stirred something up now. :D