Re: Lupines in the midwest

At 10:38 AM 6/7/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>At 09:01 AM 06/07/00 -0500, Pat wrote:
>>What is it with us Dean?  Could it just be Wisconsin and Michigan soil? 
>>For the last 20 years I have tried hard, very hard, not so hard, but
>>tried anyway to grow lupines and have failed miserably every time.
>>
>>I've tried form seed, seedlings, full blown plants . . .every variation
>>there is . . .NOTHING!  I currently have one dying an agonizing death in
>>my backyard.  It was lovely when I bought it, and the plant I planted
>>near it on the same day is doing fine.  The lupines are just not my
>>plant, I guess.  I sure wish they were - I love 'em!
>
>I haven't had any luck getting lupins to survive more that one summer
>either. I do, however, have a theory as to why.  
>
>Anything I've read says that lupins don't like water logged soil. I think
>what is happening is that when the snow melts in the spring, they rot. If I
>plant them in an area that doesn't get much snow cover, they die over the
>winter.  
>
>I can't win!
>
>Leslie
>zone 3, southern Manitoba
>
My lupines are at least 6 years old, maybe older. They didn't reseed; I cut
off seed heads as they form. I live in sw Idaho, zone 6/5 most years, and
we're at the edge of the desert. I do supplemental watering, but the
lupines only get watered when the lawn gets watered (i.e., when it has a
blue cast to it, and footprints don't immediately spring back up). They are
situated on the east side of my garden shed (most of our weather comes from
the west), and are rather sheltered. they've just finished blooming, and
they were gorgeous. Now they're afflicted with powdery mildew. I love
lupines, but when I've tried to grow them out in the open, they succumb to
something within a year or two. Margaret L

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index