How To Grow Lupines -Planting Tips

Every summer we are blessed with an amazing lupine display along our roadsides and highways here in Nova Scotia. In this post we will discuss how to grow lupines so that you can bring that beautiful look of wild lupines into your garden.

How To Grow Lupines

Lupines are a herbaceous perennial plant with a long tap root. They are not easily transplanted, and are best grown from seed. Seeds will need to be stratified or scarified for successful germination.

Transplanting Lupine

• Transplanting lupines can be done, although they do not easily tolerate this process.

• If the taproot is injured during transplanting the plant may not survive.

• Sometimes plants have to be moved. If you absolutely have to move a lupine to a new location you can try to transplant it.

• The best time to transplant is in early spring, when the roots are still small and just getting established for the season.

• Move the plant to a new location with average soil and good drainage. Water well, and keep your fingers crossed!

Growing Lupine From Seed

• Starting lupine from seed is the easiest way to grow new plants.

• Lupines are easy to grow from seed, as long as the seed receives the proper preparation beforehand.

• You can start your seeds inside in winter, or plant them in the garden in the fall.

• Direct sowing into your garden in the fall allows the seeds to naturally go through the process of stratification, which prepares the seeds for germination.

Growing Lupine From Cuttings

• Lupines can also be propagated by basal cell cuttings.

• If grown by cuttings you are sure to get the colour of lupines that you are wanting, as they will be the same as the mother plant.

• Cuttings should be taken in mid spring from sturdy shoots of lupine plants.

• Make sure to take a piece of the basal cell along with the shoot.

• Trim off the lower leaves and dip into rooting hormone.

• Place in a soilless mix and keep moist until rooted.

What is Stratification and Scarification?

Stratification

Stratification is the process by which the hard seed coat of a cold hardy plant is exposed to a period of cold temperatures and moisture. This causes the seed to soften and prepares it for germination.

The stratification process can occur:

• naturally as a seed lies dormant in the soil outside and is exposed to the cold temperatures and wet weather in the natural landscape.
• by placing the seed in the fridge in a bag with a moist medium, such as vermiculite or moistened paper towel.

Scarification

Scarification is the process by which the hard seed coat of a cold hardy plant is mechanically altered to allow germination to occur.

The scarification process can be achieved by:

• rubbing the seed coat with a coarse material such as sandpaper, thinning out the surface.

• nicking the seed coat with a sharp object such as a knife, taking care not to injure the soft inner parts of the seed.

How To Grow Lupines From Seed

• Lupines are a perennial with a thick seed coat. Like with many other perennial seeds, this thick coat offers protection to the seed during the cold wet winter.

• The purpose of the coat is to keep the seed from germinating until the spring.

• So if you have planted your seeds outside in the garden in fall, you just have to wait for the weather to warm up.

• If you are planting your seeds inside, they will need to be stratified or scarified.

• You can also winter sow your lupine seeds using the winter sowing method in milk jugs which will naturally stratify the seeds.

Soaking Lupine Seeds

• Soaking lupine seeds for twenty four hours can help to break down the hard seed coat of the lupine seeds.

• You can scarify the seeds prior to soaking which may increase the success of germination.

• Seeds can be planted directly into the soil following soaking.

Starting Lupine Seeds Indoors

We used the method of stratification to prepare our lupine seeds for planting.

• The seeds had excellent germination using this method.

• Our seeds were placed in a baggie with moistened vermiculite, then placed in the fridge for a period of two weeks.

• When the seeds were removed from the fridge some had already started to sprout.

Planting Lupine Seeds Indoors

• We planted some of our seeds in trays, and some in paper pots.

• Use a good seed starting mix for planting lupine seeds.

• We placed our seedling tray and paper pots on a heat mat for about a week.

• When sixty percent of the seedlings had germinated, the trays were placed under grow lights.

• The seedlings will remain under the grow lights until they are ready to be hardened off in spring.

• Be careful of the growing taproots in the seedling trays, and plant out whenever you are able.

When Do Lupines Bloom?

Lupines bloom in Nova Scotia towards the end of June. There’s usually a huge flush of flowers for several weeks.

If you are growing lupines in your garden, you can deadhead the spent lupine blooms for a second flush of blooms towards the end of summer.

New seedlings will not bloom in the first year they are planted. During this time the plant is developing a good root system.

You should get blooms in the second year, and the plants will continue to grow and mature for several years.

Planting Location- Do Lupines Like Sun Or Shade?

• Lupines like a sunny location with average fertility and well drained soil.

• They can easily grow in gravel and ditches along roadsides and highways, demonstrating that they do not prefer a highly fertile soil.

Do Lupines Spread?

Lupines will spread if left to self-seed.

Ripe lupine seed pods will explode their contents of ripe seeds some distance from the mother plant.

If you are planning to harvest your own lupine seeds, make sure that you catch the pods before they ripen and release the seeds.

How To Find Wild Lupine Seeds

I went foraging for wild lupine seeds this fall along a country roadside.

Almost all of the lupine seeds had already been dispersed from the pods.

I know now to get there a little earlier next season. Some seed savers collect the pods from the plant before they are fully dried out and allow them to dry indoors. This will prevent seed loss.

We ended up buying our wild lupine seeds this year.

Most have now germinated and are growing nicely under grow lights.

Do You Cut Back Lupines In Autumn?

Cutting back lupines in autumn is not necessary, unless it is a task that you normally do to clean up your garden debris.

The lupine plant will die back naturally into the ground when it gets cold, and will remain dormant until the following spring when it will put up new shoots.

Are Lupines Deer Resistant?

Lupines are known to be deer resistant, and we are quite pleased about that!

How To Take Care Of Lupine Flowers- Cut Flowers

Lupines are perfect cottage style flowers and look wonderful in bouquets.

Cut lupine flowers before all flowers have opened on the stem for a longer vase life.

The flowers should be cut in the morning, and make sure that you place the flowers in cold water immediately after cutting.

Allow the flowers to rehydrate in the water. They will also benefit from conditioning.

Hope you found this post on how to grow lupines helpful! If you have any questions please leave in the comments below!

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