@celcius_kkw wowsers, those lupins look great! I grew a load from seed last year (literally planted 1st March as too excited to wait) and ended up drowning in them 😆, I got carried away and they all grew really well. I think about 4 of them flowered so definitely possible. My main gripe with them are the aphids. They all got absolutely covered with them and it gave me the rage 😡. I didnt really want to get chemicals involved so I was forever pushing them off with sticks!! I've actually got rid of quite a few of them as a result. I decided to replace them with foxgloves and planted seeds in September in the hope of getting flowers this year but I never learn - I am now drowning in foxgloves 😂
@Crazybeelady Haha! I totally get you on the ‘I never learn from my past mistakes’ front.. I am quite an obsessive person too. My lupins also had a really bad attack of aphids so from August onwards their flowering potential started to diminish significantly.. and just like yours they were at one point COVERED in aphids. It got so bad that I ended up spraying with chemicals but in hindsight that was a mistake as it meant natural predators such as ladybirds wouldn’t have a chance.. but then I garden on a top floor balcony so there weren’t many of them anyway. The spraying worked only temporarily and the aphids sprang back within a week.. I have since binned those lupins from last year as I was really concerned that they will start to affect my roses..
This year I am going to grow lupins at my allotment plot so I’m hoping there would be a better balance of predatory insects and wildlife to keep the aphids in check.
And on a different note I’ve also just sown some foxglove seeds - they were the Dalmatian series (supposedly good for first year flowering) - they came packets of 25 seeds so hopefully not too overwhelming.. I do have another packet of regular foxglove seeds that comes in the thousands though but I must exert some self control..
I do what I learnt from the great doyen Christo Lloyd. I sow new seed every year in June, plant out in Autumn for good plants the following year. I dispose of the old plants after flowering, they never last well with all my slugs and snails.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I just don't like waste @celcius_kkw! They shouldn't put so many seeds in a packet and it's amazing just how small the Foxglove ones are considering the plant size. The aphids are always on my roses too, though they flower really well. If I ever see a ladybird I put it on an aphid covered stem and watch it eat one, great fun!
@punkdoc I’m still quite new to the world of horticulture so unfortunately I’d missed that window back in autumn.. but I will take heed and plan ahead this year in the meantime I’m trying to remain hopeful of my late sowing..
@Crazybeelady I’ve never thought of placing a ladybird directly on a spot with aphids.. I just thought they would fly away before o get near the ladybird.. that must be soooo satisfying to watch the ladybirds devour those pesky aphids.. 🤤
Hi @Rebecca111 - if they've been under cover, they'll need hardening off. It's too early to do that, especially if they're small plants. Once it's warmer [and that will depend on whereabouts you are] you can put them outside for a while each day. They're best grown on and planted out as bigger plants too, as it helps them to withstand attacks from slugs etc which love soft new growth.
If they're big sturdy plants - in 6 or 7 inch pots or similar, they'd be able to be planted out in spring, again - depending on your climate and soil.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Re lupin aphids I have read that ladybirds don’t eat them as they are not native to the UK? However my lupins were covered with ladybirds last year so perhaps they didn’t read the article? The only reason I let the lupins continue to flower was to feed predators as they looked dreadful. They were pretty early on but once the aphids took hold they were horrible
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I sow new seed every year in June, plant out in Autumn for good plants the following year. I dispose of the old plants after flowering, they never last well with all my slugs and snails.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
The aphids are always on my roses too, though they flower really well. If I ever see a ladybird I put it on an aphid covered stem and watch it eat one, great fun!
@Crazybeelady I’ve never thought of placing a ladybird directly on a spot with aphids.. I just thought they would fly away before o get near the ladybird.. that must be soooo satisfying to watch the ladybirds devour those pesky aphids.. 🤤
Once it's warmer [and that will depend on whereabouts you are] you can put them outside for a while each day. They're best grown on and planted out as bigger plants too, as it helps them to withstand attacks from slugs etc which love soft new growth.
If they're big sturdy plants - in 6 or 7 inch pots or similar, they'd be able to be planted out in spring, again - depending on your climate and soil.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...