This beautiful perennial flower is bred through selective breeding and its excellent varietal qualities are best transmitted by dividing the mother plant. It is often grown from seeds as well. This plant is lupine. The most unexpected shades of flowers of this plant are found in culture, with a predominance of pink or blue colors. The abundance of options can be explained by the selective nature of lupine.
In the article you can learn about the features of planting perennial lupine, its cultivation.
Homeland and growing conditions of the plant
Lupin is a herbaceous plant. In the wild, it is found in Africa, the Mediterranean, South and North America. Gardeners in their summer cottages plant various cultivated flower forms that differ from wild plants in their abundant flowering.
The plant is very fond of sandy and loamy soil. Preferred lighting is light (lacy shade of trees).
General information
In gardens, lupins are mainly planted for decorative purposes, as they look wonderful in any landscape design. Its usual place is the middle of the flower bed, as it is quite tall and stands out well among other plants. It also looks good among bushes and trees, but at the same time, the place should be well lit.
When grown from perennial lupine seed, the purple hue is dominant. Some varieties of lupine can bloom both at the beginning of summer and at the very end of the warm season (until October), but their inflorescences die off relatively quickly.
Lupine, being green manure (plants grown to nourish the soil with various useful elements), perfectly enriches the soil with nitrogen and improves soil quality. After full germination, its stems and leaves, pulled out and embedded in the soil, turn into an excellent fertilizer for other crops.
Description
Characteristics of perennial lupine:
- plant height - 50-150 cm;
- large palmate leaves, located on long cuttings;
- long inflorescences (up to 50 cm) have a pyramidal shape;
In total, there are more than 200 varieties of this plant. Perennial lupine flowers have inflorescences of various shades: pink, white, purple, yellow, lilac, etc.
Views
Out of hundreds of species of plants, only a dozen are ornamental and garden, and most often theyare perennials, growing in height, as noted above, up to 150 centimeters.
The most popular types are below.
Blue or narrow-leaved lupine. It grows up to 80-150 cm. Its slightly pubescent stem is erect. The flowers are odorless, but have a variety of colors - pink, white, purple
- Multiple. This type of perennial lupine grows naturally in North America, however, it also feels great in the climatic conditions of Russia. Height - 80-120 cm, inflorescence length - up to 35 cm. Flowers - multi-colored, blooming in June.
- White. Height - 150 cm. The stem has a branching, in the upper part it is erect. The leaves have dense pubescence, creating a beautiful silvery rim along their edges. The flowers are odorless, but have a variety of shades: white, light pink, pale blue.
Yellow. This type of plant is an annual. The pubescent stem is covered with a small number of leaves growing on long pubescent petioles. The yellow flowers have an aroma reminiscent of the mignonette flower
Also quite common species, as well as widely used by gardeners, are silver, tree-like, changeable, dwarf, etc. Planting seeds for seedlings of perennial lupine of all types and varieties, as well as planting seeds directly into the ground, is quite acceptable.
A little about varieties
As for the varieties of perennial lupine, the mostsome of them are widely used in culture. For example, the variety "Princess Juliana" (height 110 cm), which has white-pink flowers located on long racemes. The flowering period of this variety is up to 40 days.
Apricot variety (height up to 90 cm) has beautiful orange flowers on inflorescences reaching a length of up to 40 cm.
The most beloved by flower growers and the most attractive varieties of lupine were bred by breeder Russell. These are varieties "Mein Schloss" (red-brick shade of flowers) and "Burg Freulin" (pure white color). From a series of bright undersized hybrids: Minaret (more information below in the article), Splendid. All of them belong to the group of monochromatic varieties and hybrids with flowers of a contrasting or white hue.
Variety "Minaret"
I would especially like to note this particular variety. This unpretentious plant has a height of up to 50 cm. It has openwork large leaves and beautiful inflorescences - giant pyramidal spikes (up to 30 cm long) of the brightest colors. Butterfly type flowers bloom sequentially from the bottom up and delight the eye all summer and early autumn. This variety of lupine is used both in single and in group plantings with other perennials. They are spectacular in bouquets.
Growing perennial lupine "Minaret" from seeds is practically no different from growing other varieties. Seeds are sown in containers in March-April. Shoots appear after 14-20 days. Seedlings are planted in the ground in May, while avoidingdamage to their own earthen coma. You can sow seeds directly into the ground from May to mid-July. Minaret prefers sunny areas.
Growing
Usually in nature and in gardens, lupins propagate by self-sowing. Its seeds ripen in beans, which crack in the autumn and fruits scatter from them.
Among flower growers, the most common way to grow perennial lupine is from seed. When to plant them? Seeds can be sown in the ground throughout the warm season:
- spring;
- summer;
- early autumn.
The seedling method of growing a plant is used in northern latitudes.
Pick up time
When using the seedling propagation method from seeds, sowing should be done in early spring, at the very beginning of March.
When and how to grow perennial lupine from seeds? In this case, the best time is the month of April (after the snow has melted), but it should be noted that it is better to prepare a plot for flowers in the fall.
Some flower growers prefer to sow lupine seeds before winter (end of October). In this case, there are practically no contraindications, there are even a number of advantages: seeds that did not have time to germinate before winter ripen in the ground in quite comfortable and natural conditions.
Growing perennial lupine seedlings
It is not difficult to grow seedlings from flower seeds. This must be done, as noted above, about a month before planting seedlings in open ground.
- Prepare a mixture of earth,peat and sand in equal proportions.
- In the seedling tank, create a drainage system to prevent stagnant water.
- Seeds should be planted approximately 2 cm deep.
- It is advisable to water the seedlings with warm rainwater.
Unpretentious perennial lupine. Planting and caring for it does not require much effort. But it should be noted that when growing in seedlings, planting lupine in open ground must be carried out when the seedlings grow 2-3 leaves. It is not worth delaying this process so that there are no problems with transplantation, otherwise the tap root system can become a significant hindrance during transplantation.
Sunny sites should be chosen for this plant, but slightly shaded for some varieties. In low light, the plant begins to bloom later, and the inflorescences stretch upwards and become less lush.
Planting perennial lupine seeds
In warm southern regions, seeds are planted in open ground immediately after the snow thaws (April), and the first flowering occurs next summer.
It is desirable, if possible, to mix the seeds before sowing with the roots of old lupins crushed into a powder state. This helps to accelerate the growth of bacteria that absorb nitrogen. The first shoots germinate in 7-14 days. To achieve simultaneous germination of seeds, it is better to cover the crops with damp gauze and keep warm.
For this rather simple method (propagation by seeds), you must first select a place for the permanent cultivation of lupine. Myselfthe flower is practically unpretentious to the composition of the soil, however, fertile and loose soil is most suitable.
Perennial lupine is a plant with excellent decorative properties. To a greater extent, it is grown from seeds, and later it propagates by self-sowing, decorating the flower beds with its lush and abundant flowering.
Picking order:
- Pre-prepare small holes with a distance of 30 cm between them.
- Place the seeds in holes (approximately 2 cm deep) and cover with earth, and lightly sprinkle with sand. You can plant them and randomly scattering them in a flower bed.
- Water the soil generously.
- Mulch the soil with peat.
In warm sunny weather, the first shoots appear in almost two weeks.
Sowing seeds before winter should be done at the end of October. When planting a perennial lupine during this period, it is not worth watering it, since there is enough moisture in the ground. The first shoots will sprout in the spring, a week after the snow has completely melted.
Plant care
Unpretentious perennial lupine. Planting and care in the open field do not require much effort. The soil should be regularly loosened and weeded from weeds. Older plants need to be hilled up, because the root system is gradually exposed during growth. Starting from the second year, the plant must be fed with a mineral mixture in the spring: per 1 sq. meter add potassium sulfate (5 g) and 20 grams of superphosphate.
Lupins tolerate drought well, so moderate watering is sufficient. Only inin the spring they should be watered a little more to stimulate the formation of flower stalks. It should be noted that when the first shoots appear, it is necessary to water them in a timely manner, and in the evening or morning hours, in order to avoid burning the young foliage with the sun's rays. green mass. In this regard, caring for it during this period includes only weeding and applying nitrogen fertilizers to strengthen it and better growth.
It is important to remember that prolonged stagnation of moisture can have a detrimental effect on the plant - rotting of the roots will occur. To prolong the flowering period of perennial lupine, wilted inflorescences must be cut off. Perennials in this case can bloom even in October. In autumn, the ground part of the plant should be completely removed, and the roots should be covered with sawdust to increase the winter hardiness of flowers.
In one place, a lupine flower can grow up to 5-6 years, then it is advisable to renew the bush with a young plant obtained by any method of reproduction.
Features of lupine
When talking about propagating perennial lupins from seeds, it is important to remember that such propagating does not guarantee that the young lupine will inherit the color and other traits of the mother plant.
Usually, lupine is grown from seeds for the purposes of a breeding experiment. As a rule, pink and purple shades dominate in the flowers of the plant, so they can be preserved in the next generation. White color when propagated by seeds, most likelyget lost.
Collecting seeds
The seeds of a plant do not ripen at the same time according to the height of the peduncle. After the flowering of each flower, fruits are formed in the form of beans. At the same time, they can be ripe only in the lower part of the flower arrow, and still blooming buds can be located above. Ripe boxes dry up and become yellow-brown in color. The shelf life of seeds after they are harvested is no more than 5 years.
Dried fruits should be plucked without waiting for the entire arrow to ripen. To prevent seed loss, the ripening beans can be tied with gauze to keep the seeds from the pods from falling to the ground. Seeds from opened beans should be dried well in a shady place with good air circulation.
Hand-picked seeds remain viable for 5-6 years.
Conclusion
As you can see, growing perennial lupine seedlings and seeds is almost the same as growing many other plant species.
Many flower growers love this gorgeous perennial with attractive blooms in a variety of flower colors. Lupine is excellent for decorating any adjoining and summer cottage, as well as a garden.
