Varieties And Cultivation Of Lupine

2023 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-30 21:03

Lupine (Lupus) - multi-colored handsome man for the garden

Lupus is Latin for wolf. The name of this plant fully justifies its character: lupine is very hardy and can grow even in the most inappropriate conditions. It tolerates spring and autumn frosts down to -8 ° C, although a sharp change in temperature is destructive for it.

There are up to 200 species of this genus that grow wild in North America and the Mediterranean. Annual, biennial and perennial rhizome herbaceous plants, less often dwarf shrubs. The leaves are palmate, on long petioles, collected in a basal rosette and cover the stem. Flowers in spike-shaped inflorescences: white, yellow, blue, purple, pink, cream, carmine, red and purple. The fruit is a bean. In floriculture, perennial lupine and annual hybrids are mainly used.

Gardener's guide

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Location: Lupins prefer sunny locations, but tolerate light shade.

The soil. Lupins develop better on loamy, slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soils. Very acidic soil must be limed.

For this, finely ground dolomite or lime flour is suitable. Peat must be added to alkaline soil. Lupine is not picky about nitrogen nutrition, because carries nodules on the roots with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into a soluble form.

Care. Perennial lupine can bloom in one place without transplanting for 4-5 years. Periodic hilling can slightly increase this period (in old plants, the top of the rhizome rises above the ground). Spring fertilizing with mineral fertilizers enhances flowering: 10-20 g of superphosphate and about 5 g of potassium chloride are added per 1 m². To prolong flowering, faded inflorescences are cut off until seeds have formed.

Reproduction: by seeds and vegetatively.

For seedlings, it is best to sow seeds in early spring in boxes or milk bags in a mixture of peat, turf and sand (1: 1: 0.5). The substrate should be loose enough so that water does not stagnate. Water in moderation.

After 8-17 days, seedlings appear (for friendly germination, before sowing, they are covered with wet gauze and kept in a warm place until they bite). After 20-30 days, when 5-6 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in a permanent place in flower beds at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other. It is advisable not to be late with this, since young plants tolerate transplantation better.

You can also sow directly into the ground in April, as soon as the snow melts, but the place for lupines should be ready in autumn. The plants will bloom the next year in early May.

Another way of sowing seeds is before winter in late October - early November, after the first frost. The planting depth is 2 cm. The crops are sprinkled on top with a small layer of peat. In the spring, after the snow melts, the seeds sprout together, and the plants bloom in August of the same year.

Annual lupins are sown in the ground in April, they bloom in June and bloom for 30-40 days. During seed propagation, the color of flowers is not always inherited, in order to preserve it, they resort to vegetative propagation. At the base of the stem, lupine carries the so-called renewal buds. In early spring, they are separated with a piece of rhizome, immersed with the cut end in growth substance or in charcoal powder and planted in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 1). In summer, lateral shoots that form in the leaf axils can be taken on cuttings. After 20-30 days, the cuttings have roots and the plants can be planted in a permanent place. Young plants can bloom in the same year.

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Lupine varieties

Lupine multifoliate - the most unpretentious and frost-resistant. He even settled in the south of the taiga zone of our country. Since the beginning of the 19th century, many varieties have been bred, I will dwell on the most interesting.

Carmineus, Roseus - have red or pink flowers, peduncles 100-110 cm high.

Albus - the name speaks for itself: snow-white inflorescences rise to a height of more than 1 meter.

The Rubinkönig variety is interesting for its ruby-purple flowers; height - up to 110 cm.

There is a large group of varieties with multi-colored (two-colored) flowers: Abendglut, Splendid - as a rule, the dark lower half of the flower and the light upper half (the so-called sail).

Recently, a low-growing variety Minaret with a plant height of up to 50 cm was bred - you must agree, an interesting solution!

Lulu is the fastest ripening mixture of perennial lupins. When sown in open ground in April, it blooms after 13-15 weeks.

Seasonal annuals include dwarf lupine (Lupinus nanus), changeable lupine (Lupinus mutabilis var.cruckshanksii) and Hartweg lupine (L. hartwegii), as well as their hybrids.

The highest of them is the changeable lupine (up to 1 m), the other two do not grow higher than 60 cm. Small flowers are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences. The color of flowers is very diverse, as in perennial species - white, red, blue, yellow, multicolored.

Of the whole variety of varieties, the dwarf lupine Pink Fairey can be distinguished - pale pink inflorescences with a pleasant aroma (!), Which is unusual for lupines; grows up to 60 cm.

I draw your attention to the fact that lupine is an excellent predecessor of various vegetable crops, in particular, potatoes. It prepares the soil well by enriching it with nitrogen. So on a potato field, you can create a magnificent flower garden, combining business with pleasure.

Good luck with your gardening business!