This beautiful perennial flower was bred through selection, and its magnificent varietal qualities are best conveyed by the division of the mother bush. It is often grown with seeds. 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 breeding nature of lupine.
In the article you can learn about the features of planting perennial lupine, its cultivation.
Homeland and plant growth conditions
Lupine is a herbaceous plant. In the wild, it is found in Africa, the Mediterranean, South and North America. Gardeners in their suburban areas plant various cultivated flower forms that differ from wild plants in their abundant flowering.
The plant is very fond of sandy and loamy soil. Light is preferred (lacy shade of trees).
General information
In the gardens, lupins are mainly planted for decorative purposes, since it looks wonderful in any landscape design. Its usual place is the middle of the flowerbed, since 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 seeds, a purple hue is dominant. Some varieties of lupine can bloom both in early summer and at the very end of the warm season (until the month of October), but their inflorescences die off relatively quickly.
Lupine, being a siderate (plants grown to feed the soil with various useful elements), perfectly enriches the soil with nitrogen and improves the quality of the soil. After complete germination, its stems and leaves, pulled out and planted in the soil, turn into an excellent fertilizer for other crops.
Description
Characteristics of Lupine perennial:
- 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.
Kinds
Of the hundreds of plant species, only a dozen belong to ornamental and garden plants, and most often they are perennial, growing in height, as noted above, up to 150 centimeters.
Below are the most popular types.
- Blue or narrow lupine. It grows to 80-150 cm. Its slightly pubescent stem is erect. The flowers are odorless, but have a variety of colors - pink, white, purple.
- Multi-sheeted. This type of perennial lupine in natural conditions grows in North America, however, it 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 branch, in the upper part it is erect. On the leaves there is a dense pubescence, creating a beautiful silver 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 annual. The pubescent stem is covered with a small number of leaves growing on the long, pubescent petioles. Yellow flowers have an aroma resembling that of a Reseda flower.
Also quite common species, as well as widely used gardeners, are silver, tree-like, changeable, dwarf, etc. Planting seeds on seedlings of lupine perennial of all types and varieties, as well as planting seeds directly into the ground is quite acceptable.
A bit about grades
As for the varieties of lupine perennial, the most widely used in culture are some of them. For example, the variety "Princess Juliana" (height 110 cm), with white-pink flowers located on long brushes. 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 florists and the most attractive varieties of lupine were bred by breeder Russell. These varieties are “Mine Schloss” (red-brick shade of flowers) and “Burg Froilin” (pure white color). From a series of bright undersized hybrids: “Minaret” (more detailed information in the article below), “Splendid”. All of them belong to the group of plain 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 large openwork leaves and beautiful inflorescences - giant pyramidal ears (length up to 30 cm) of the brightest colors. Moth 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.
The cultivation of long-term Minaret lupine from seeds does not differ practically from the cultivation of other varieties. Seeds are sown in containers in March-April. After 14-20 days, seedlings appear. Seedlings are planted in the ground in May, while avoiding damage to their own earthen coma. You can sow seeds directly into the ground from May to mid-July. Preferred "Minaret" sunny areas.
Growing
Usually in nature and in gardens, lupine propagates self-seeding. Its seeds ripen in beans, which crack in the fall and the fruits fly out of them.
Among flower growers, the most common way to grow perennial lupine is from seeds. When to plant them? Seeds can be sown in the soil throughout the entire warm season:
- in the spring;
- in summer;
- at the beginning of autumn.
Seedling method of growing plants is used in northern latitudes.
Landing time
When using the seedling method of propagation 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 gardeners prefer to sow lupine seeds before winter (late October). In this case, there are practically no contraindications, there are even a number of advantages: seeds that do not have time to germinate before winter ripen in the ground in fairly 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 land, peat and sand in equal proportions.
- In a container for seedlings, create a drainage system to prevent stagnation of water.
- Plant seeds at a depth of about 2 cm.
- It is advisable to water the seedlings with warm rain water.
Unpretentious lupine perennial. Landing and caring for it do not require much effort. But it should be noted that when growing in seedlings, the planting of lupine in the open ground must be carried out when 2-3 seedlings grow in seedlings. It is not worth delaying this process so that there are no problems with the transplant, otherwise the rooted root system can become a significant obstacle during the transplant.
For this plant should choose sunny areas, but slightly shaded for some varieties. With insufficient lighting, the plant begins to bloom later, and the inflorescences stretch up and become not so lush.
Planting perennial lupine seeds
In the warm southern regions, seeds are planted in open ground immediately after thawing snow (April month), and the first flowering occurs next summer.
If possible, it is advisable to mix the seeds before sowing with the tubers of the roots of old lupins crushed into a powdery state. This helps to accelerate the growth of bacteria that absorb nitrogen. The first shoots germinate after 7-14 days. To achieve simultaneous germination of seeds, crops should be covered with wet gauze and kept warm.
For this rather simple method (propagation by seeds), you should first select a place for the continuous cultivation of lupine. The flower itself is almost 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 on it propagates by self-sowing, decorating flower beds with its lush and plentiful flowering.
Landing procedure:
- Prepare small holes with a distance of 30 cm between them.
- Place the seeds in a hole (approximately to a depth of 2 cm) and cover with soil, and lightly sprinkle with sand. You can plant them and randomly scattering through the flowerbed.
- Water the soil abundantly.
- Mulch the soil with peat.
In warm sunny weather, the first shoots appear after almost two weeks.
Sowing seeds for the winter should be done at the end of October. When planting lupine perennial 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 complete melting of snow.
Plant care
Unpretentious lupine perennial. Landing and care in the open ground do not require much effort. The soil should be loosened regularly and weed away from weeds. Older plants need to be spudded, 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. Km. meter add potassium sulfate (5 g) and 20 grams of superphosphate.
Lupins tolerate drought well, so moderate watering is sufficient. Only in the spring they should be watered a little more to stimulate the formation of peduncles. It should be noted that when the first seedlings appear, it is necessary to water in a timely manner, and in the evening or morning hours, in order to avoid burning the young foliage with sun rays. Young bushes in the first year will not grow and bloom, as they grow their root system and green mass. In this regard, care for him during this period includes only weeding and the introduction of 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 - the roots will rot. To extend the flowering period of perennial lupine, wilted inflorescences must be cut. Perennials in this case can also bloom in October. In autumn, the ground part of the plant should be completely eliminated, and the roots should be covered with sawdust to increase the winter hardiness of the flowers.
In one place, the 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.
Lupine Features
Speaking about the reproduction of perennial lupine from seeds, it is important to recall that such reproduction does not guarantee that young lupine will inherit the color and other characteristics of the mother plant.
Typically, lupine is grown from seeds for the purpose of a breeding experiment. As a rule, pink and violet shades dominate the plant’s flowers; therefore, they can be preserved in the next generation. White color when propagated by seeds is likely to be lost.
Seed collection
Seeds in a plant do not ripen at the same time as the peduncle. After blooming of each flower, fruits in the form of beans are formed. At the same time, they can be ripened only in the lower part of the flower arrow, and blooming buds can be located above. Ripe boxes dry out and turn yellow-brown. The shelf life of seeds after their collection is not more than 5 years.
The dried fruits should be plucked, without waiting for the ripening of the whole arrow. To prevent seed loss, ripening beans can be tied with gauze so that the seeds from the boxes do not fall to the ground. Seeds from opened beans must be well dried in a shaded area with good air circulation.
Self-collected seeds retain viability for 5-6 years.
Conclusion
As you can see, the cultivation of perennial lupine seedlings and seeds is practically no different from the cultivation of many other plant species.
Many flower growers love this magnificent perennial plant, which has an attractive flowering of various shades of flowers. Lupine is excellent for decorating any house, summer cottage and garden.