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Lupines or
Lupinus species.
Lupines are in the pea family fabiacae and it's a large
genus of plants. Most of them are herbaceous perennials
but there is one shrub, maybe a couple shrubs
and a tree species from South America.
But this is a good example of
the herbaceous perennial in bloom.
Let's talk about growing lupines. You want full Sun
to partial a shade for this plant to do its best.
Right now we're in the shade of a nice holly tree
but for eight hours to 10 hours a day
this plant is in full Sun. It prefers a well-drained soil.
Because it's a member of the Pea family
it fixes nitrogen, which is very useful
in terms of amending the soil
and also it's a companion plant
for are I large number of heavy feeding
vegetables. If you think of the cucubits the cucumbers, squash
also it's been used in spinach fields and
and cabbage as well. This is
a great example of the flower structure.
These can be up to a foot long and
they start blooming, the flowers
begin opening at the bottom and then progress up the plant.
It's a great cut flower, I have found
if you cut it, if you harvest it at about this level right here
when about a third of the flowers have opened, and you cut it.
Then they will continue to open in in the vase.
If you wait too long to this state then
the petals start to fall almost immediately after you cut it.
But it lasts for up to three or four days in the vase.
In the spring the foliage emerges
in early to mid spring and it's just wonderful.
A dark green color, mid green maybe,
with a white hairs on the back that makes the
under sides appear a lighter green.
It also repels water.
It's what they call superhydrophobic.
Water droplets will roll off the leaves as if they were mercury.
Lupiness can be planted in the cut flower garden
As I say they make a great cut flower,
They're wonderful in the perennial garden. Again they take full Sun.
You could put them in the front of the shrub border
no wonderful focal point in the spring dance