Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Lupins - foliage

PurpleandpinksPurpleandpinks Posts: 78
in Plants
Hello!

So I planted my first lupins this year and they put on a good display. The problem is the foliage looks really bad now - is this normal? Should I cut back or dig up and replace with something else? One doesn't look as bad but the rest look awful. Thank you! 

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Lupin foliage often looks terrible in late summer. I treat the plants as biennials, sowing new seed each year in June, with the new plants being planted out the following Spring.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    My mum's lupins got covered in mildew and aphids... I cut the foliage right back to the base. It formed a clump of healthy new foliage after a few weeks. 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I keep my Lupins for years, the clumps are about 3’ across now,  cut the leaves right down to the ground now. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • PurpleandpinksPurpleandpinks Posts: 78
    Thanks everyone! By down to the ground, is that literally right to the ground or with a few cms above? I'm a beginner, can you tell?! 
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    My lupus are covered with aphids but I noticed lots of ladybirds 🐞 on them so have left them. They do look awful but hopefully they are fattening up the ladybirds! 
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    Mine are the same! I love the lupins, but hate the late summer foliage. Next year, I've vowed to plant some annuals in amongst the dying foliage once the lupins are over.... I planted some salvia viridis Blue Monday seeds this spring, that have become lovely plants... they may fit the bill. 
    Lincolnshire
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963

    Lincolnshire
Sign In or Register to comment.