Go loopy for lupins
TALL, MAGICAL AND WILDLIFE FRIENDLY, THEY CAN EVEN IMPROVE YOUR SOIL
THIS week I spotted a photograph on Instagram of lupins at Forde Abbey in Somerset – and it reawakened me to the joys of this plant.
It was quite a magical scene with the flowers caught at dawn standing in hues of purple and pink above parasol-like foliage.
Lupins are sometimes overlooked in the contemporary garden but they are great value. They grow easily from seed and are not demanding in terms of soil.
They are nitrogen fixers, which means they can convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into nitrates in the soil – in this way feeding themselves.
This allows them to thrive on poor soil and improve it when they die.
Normally, they start growth after the last frosts, and produce their first flush of flowers in late May and early June. If you cut down spent flower spikes after flowering, they will often give an encore, albeit of smaller flowers.
They grow to a height of three to four feet depending on soil and weather. They support themselves in windy conditions and often do not need staking. They are perfect cottage garden plants, adding height and structure to an informal border with candles of flowers in a rainbow array.
Bees and butterflies love them so they are good for the wildlife friendly garden.
They’re not entirely free of problems, however. They can suffer from a fungal disease which causes dieback and leaf browning. When this gets hold, it’s hard to control and it spreads easily in wet weather.
A preventive measure is to allow sufficient air circulation around your plants by not stuffing them in too closely,
Aphids, such as the greenfly, are great fans of lupins and like to suck sap from them to the point where the lupin will wilt. You can either remove the aphids by hand or with a hose – or there are sprays available, both organic and chemical. They are also a favourite snack for slugs and snails so you need to keep a good eye on them, especially when the plants are just emerging with soft green growth – this is caviar for snails.
They aren’t a good candidate for division as they have long tap roots, but it is possible and best done in spring. Another method of propagation is via seed collection. The results from seed will be variable but that can be fun seeing what emerges.
Soak seed overnight to increase germination rate. If you want to ensure new plants are the same as the parent, propagate vegetatively by taking basal cuttings in February and March.
Plant when young so they can put down a good root system in an open position away from trees. They prefer a moist well drained soil so add a bit of grit when planting if your soil is heavy but they can be grown in most garden conditions. ‘Masterpiece’ is a beauty with deep purple red flowers flecked with orange. It comes from Westcountry Nurseries in Devon, who specialise in breeding new lupins as well as other plants.