Lupines are a flowering plant that can be easily grown from seed, but blooming takes longer. They can also be propagated by taking basal cuttings from established plants in the spring and replanting them. This method ensures an ongoing stock of the plants and may bloom sooner than seeds. Lupines are half-hardy annuals that can be grown from seed, with flowers typically occurring in their first year and reaching a height of around 60 cm (7.87 inches). To grow and care for perennial lupine flowers from seed, follow these tips: sowing, germination, light and soil preferences, plant spacing, hardiness, and harvesting.
Lupines are hardy plants that usually bloom the first year after planting, but they may take two years to bloom if grown from seed. They can be divided in spring, but division can be tricky due to the plants’ strong central tap. Lupines can be sown in late February indoors to early April, with some flowers occurring in the first year and others in the second year. Lupine seeds can be planted in very early spring, but they tend to do better if planted in late spring and allowed to overwinter, blooming in the following spring.
Lupines will flower during the first year after being sown, and they can return again next year. They are often sold as a mixture or single-color seed, and they go through the winter cycle and are ready to grow in the spring. With fresh seeds, you can expect at least one healthy plant.
📹 How To Grow LUPINS From Seed For Cut Flowers
Thank you for watching my latest video! My name is Sarah and I am a flower farmer in East Yorkshire, UK. I am in my 6th season of …
📹 Caring for lupins – Golden Rules
Expert advice on how to grow and care for lupins, including how to keep slugs and aphids away. Watch more Golden Rules …
I’ve never clicked Like on a article so fast! You definitely inspired me to grow lupine this year, and I collected some wild lupine seeds last year as well. They grow nicely here in Oregon, USA. I sowed them just a week ago and they sprouted beautifully. I can’t wait to make flower bouquets of my own this year. Thank you Sarah!
Your lupines are absolutely gorgeous! Idk what it is about that structure, but I just LOVE that in a flower! Same as with snapdragons- I love how they are shaped, & how they get smaller towards the tip, & the colors open up gradually… idk I just love it! & you have some gorgeous photos of them also!
Hi Sarah, thank you for all of your articles! I’m a flower farmer as well. I haven’t grown these yet, but they do look so beautiful. Well done! I’ve heard of using beer for slug control through the gardener’s workshop. I know she used to offer a slug trap that you pour it into. Lisa has so much valuable information on her website and she’s all about education. Hope this helps, happy growing! 💐
Interesting to watch your Lupin sowing Sarah. I have mine germinating in a cool greenhouse. They are the ones used as a green manure but such a beautiful colour of pink and lilac blue. I did have problem with greenfly on them last year so will keep an eye out for ladybirds and send them in that direction 🐞🐞🐞
I have winter sowed some a year ago here in zone 5….I transplanted them when they had several leaves into my garden…that year the just grew a little, only 2 plants came back this year, but very healthy….I think they will bloom….they say 1st year is they sleep, 2nd year they creep, third year they leap.
You can get 90 lupin band of nobles seeds for 99p at premier seeds direct. Chiltern seeds charge £2.65 for 61 seeds. Chiltern can be a bit overpriced. I’ve been getting whatever varieties of veg/flowers I can from premierseeds seeds for more than a decade now and great germination / quality. Seekay horticultural are similarly priced, similar quality too. Whenever I see something on chiltern I like, I double check if I can get it elsewhere for cheaper 😉
Is there a particular species? In Norway they are a ( loved by gardeners) pest, they very invasive, and are forbidden to sell seeds or grow, because they invade the habitat of wildflowers and they die out. I am going to sow a legal lupin, a eco green manure blue lupin, not as showy, but hopefully a nice filler at least.
In my opinion lupines are not desirable as a cut flower. They attract aphids a lot and then you get them inside and on your good plants. Where I live in Atlantic Canada they are a beautiful wildflower and we look forward every spring to the flower show along our highways. But I put them in a flower garden and they reseeded prolifically…. seeds dropped in amongst other perennials… they have an extremely long,strong taproot and thus are difficult to remove . So if one does want to grow them,give them a space to themselves 😏