Lupins can be grown from the seed you collect but if you want a second flush of flowers it is best to dead head the spires of blossom. Deadheading saves energy in the plant.
Lupin Problems and Treatments
- Slugs like the tender shoots and snails seem to have attached themselves to the stronger leaves this year in my garden. I need a lot of grit around the base of the plants before they start to grow or to buy some nematodes as the weather improves.
- Green fly gather in great quantities on my second flush of blooms and need to be washed off in soapy water or a systemic insecticide used.
- Weak Lupins or yellow leaves may be caused by too much lime as Lupins prefer an acid soil so apply sequestrine or an acid loving treatment.
- Powdery mildew may affect Lupins. Pull off infected leaves and burn rather than composting them
Lupin Seeds and Plants
- Lupin Seeds at T&M
- Dwarf Lupin Plants at T&M
Help!Ii purchased a healthy looking lupin last Friday from a local garden centre and planted it in a well lit bed, beside a hollyhock. I watered it in and have ensured it does not get dried out . I surrounded the stems with pet friendly slug grit and all seemed well. Today (Monday ) all of the leaves have gone limp and curled up but the flowering spikes seem OK what is happening? Can I save my plant?
The Lupin is stressed like you! Is it limp first thing in the morning? If not the problem is the sun and heat we have enjoyed for a few days. I would try shading the Lupin from the hottest bit of the sun until the weather changes. If the problem persists and you are going to loose the plant then I would go back to the garden centre and ask for a replacement.
My Lupins attract greenfly but you would have said that was a problem
Can you please tell me how you deadhead the lupin. I know if you deadhead them it gives them a better change of flowing again later but what do you take off. I know the flower itself goes brown but do you pull just the flower or the stem which the flower is on. Please help. Not the whole big stem obviously.
I cut off the flower spike when two thirds of the flowers have developed seedpods. I loose the top flowers opening but hope to get a second flush of new smaller flower spikes. Cut the spike off just below the bottom seedheads.
I have planted approx 6 Lupins in our flower bed and all seemed well, healthy looking leaves and flower, until: just a few days ago when some of the leaf stems
started to curl like a pigs tail and now some of the flowers are just bending over, stems seems firm to the touch, no bugs that I can see, they are in good well draining mulched soil in slight shade, Help what do I do? John W.
Try plenty of water