Starting lupine from seeds and gladioli from bulbs

emilyplant91b4B1jghw

Hi
i have many lupine seeds some from packets and some I took from my last
year plants. 

How should I help them to grow? I have chickens which are free range.
(They seem to ignore last years plants at the moment)
and should I plant the gladioli bulbs in groups? Do they need support ?

thanks any tips are appreciated!
I have clay soil and the ground is rock hard at the moment 

Posy

I find lupins are best started in trays indoors, then out to a cold frame, then potted up and planted out in autumn, though if you have a lot of slugs you can hold on for spring. With the bulbs, it's down to your own taste and they may well need support.
However, you should deal with the soil first, if you can. Break up the surface and add as much organic material as you can get your hands on.
I know nothing of chickens but I always understood they could be pretty tough on gardens!

Butterfly66

Lupins are easy to grow from seed, I did some collected from my own plants last year. Started them off in our unheated greenhouse and they’re are sitting in the cold frame waiting to be planted out. 

I would pot them on until their a decent size if they are going to be planted where the chickens can get at them.

I haven’t grown gladioli in the garden, just acidenthera in a pot. I suspect the larger showier gladioli might need some support, even if it’s just from surrounding plants. Planting in groups all ways looks more natural.