Lupin Flower Spikes

Singy

Morning All, I have a fairly big lupin which is throwing up flower spikes all over it, there are 4 in full flower and another 10 or more littles ones which are starting to open.

Do i just let it continue as is, or should i sacrifice some of the smaller ones to get more big flowers?

Thanks

Fairygirl

The little ones should become bigger ones too Singy. If you deadhead the big ones once they go over it allows the others to take their place properly because the plant doesn't waste energy making seed in the spent flowers. Does that make sense? Not sure I've worded that very well! 

Singy

Yes thanks, its just all the bigs one look good and the little ones are also starting to flower, and i wondered if it would be wasting the plants energy to try to open all of them.  Ill grab a picture later, but the plant has so many flowers on, its next to my enormous digitalis so im wondering if there is something in the soil there!

Dovefromabove

Sounds great Singy - I'd love to see a picture - my foxgloves are huge too, maybe it's all the rain we've had over the past 18 months 

Singy

Couple of pics, this is one plant.

 

 

 The colour is nothing special, I have a red one which is better, all be it much smaller.

-

Wonderful, Singy! Wish me luck (mine are midgets now).

Singy

Thanks rusflorum and good luck with yours. This is the red one that is growing in front of my kitchen window.

 

 

 

 

 

Country garden lady

My lupine have just finished flowering and are turning brown with the seed pods on them. Do I remove the dead ones to encourage them to flower again? 

Singy

Hi Country Garden Lady, thats what i have been doing and it continues to send up new spikes.

i was thinking about saving some seeds from them, but i am not sure at what point to collect them.