Topic: Tree lupin

[grannyjanny]

Has anyone grown a tree lupin from seed & how easy was it?

[Robert_Brenchley]

I remember it growing all over the clay tips where I used to live in Cornwall. It's a short-lived shrub, easy to get growing on sand, and difficult anywhere else. It needs extremely good drainage, so maybe a large container?

[Emagggie]

I bought one 2 years ago. It died  after one year and it didn't even flower.  :o

[calendula]

very easy, grew quite big but not upright and steady like lupins so it needed staking and it lasted 2 years then died so not 100% hardy?

[grannyjanny]

They were growing wild on some scrubland in Portugal. They had finished flowering by mid May when I was there. I had a yellow one but it got heavily infested with green/blackfly every year so out it came. I really fancy a blue or white one.

[Alex133]

Have grown quite a few of these over the years from supposedly mixed packets. Find  only the yellow pretty easy and germination good with soaking. They do need staking and don't last that long. Brilliant in winter as they keep the handsome leaves.
Did have one white one but nothing special.
Bought blue seeds in 2009 - find they germinate ok but die very easily and have not yet managed to grow to flowering size - they also seem a lot smaller and less vigorous than the yellow.

[Squash64]

I grew the yellow one from seed and like Grannyjanny mentioned, it got covered in greenfly and then died.  I wouldn't grow it again.

[raisedbedted]

Around Junction 8 of the M25 in Reigate by the side of the slip road there used to be loads of Tree Lupins.  Reigate used to have a big sand mining industry and is on greensand so I guess if its the right location then Tree Lupins are pretty easy.

[ipt8]

They grow easy from seed. I accidently discovered that if you poor boiling water on the seeds and leave them to soak overnight the germination is good.
This hard winter has possibly killed ours, I am waiting to see if it shoots from the base. But I kept loads of seeds and they grow very quickly.