Foxgloves and lupins
green fingerd will
Posts: 34
Hi all, does Anybody have any ideas how to maximise these two plant types? I'm wanting big robust foxgloves and spikes of lupins at the back of my border my lupin at the money is showing signs of a few spikes but it's not on the big side also it's costing me a fortune in foxgloves two years ago I had a mass of foxgloves about 5ft tall in a clump now I've about three tiny apricot coloured foxgloves that don't do Anything on the wow factor of my border! I've bought seeds and was wondering if I sow them now in trays and plant out in sept will I have blooms next summer? Any thoughts guys and what about the lupin should I invest in new plants to bulk up the one existing?
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Yes, sow now, flower next year for foxgloves. After a while they self seed enough for you not to do anything except move them to where you want them and weed out the rest. They don't keep, they're biennial, you might get a few hanging on for another year but nothing spectacular.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Lupin are easy to grow from seeds. Plant a batch of seeds this year to flower next year, and plant up another batch next year to flower the following year. I think they are bi-annual? Next years batch will self seed, same with the following years batch.. So if they like the conditions of your garden, they'll keep themselves going for ages.
What are your garden conditions? Soil, sun direction, etc? I think foxglove like chalky soil?
My soil is t too bad I mulch it in autumn when the borders are empty and clear I'm going to have to be careful mulching where foxgloves are in case they seed.
They will seed will, it's what they do. You can take a head when it's dry and just scatter them where you want them
In the sticks near Peterborough
I think lupins will take a little longer to flower but are well worth sowing too. You can divide old plants to make lots of new vigorous ones, in autumn. Aquilegias are also easy from seed.
Try some hardy geraniums, buy a few plants now and divide them in October. You'll soon have lots of them. G.phaeum and G. 'Brookside' are growing very strongly for me, and G. x oxonianum spreads especially well and is so easy to propagate from divisions.
Took these photos this morning then noticed this post! My first attempt at growing lupins. The seed came free with the Daily Telegraph newspaper the variety is called tutti fruitti. Sowed the seed indoors last year then planted the seedlings in this patch of wasteland alongside the garage drive last Autumn. Had more or less forgotten about them. Haven't done anything with them, they have done this on their own! I am amazed and delighted. Also grew some foxgloves from more free seed from Daily Telegraph, these are growing well too with lots of flower spikes, will take a photo of these and post it when they open up a bit more.
Impressive Christine
In the sticks near Peterborough
Only joking they are beautiful well done
Hi Christine lovely pic I am waiting for my T&M tutti frutti seeds to arrive
hope they don't let me down,cos I would love a show like yours.
Off to snip lupin spikes right now thanks Verdun