Lupins are a tall perennial plant that prefers full sun and dry soil. They bloom in late spring or early summer, usually around June. Lupins are of Egyptian or East Mediterranean origin.
The plant belongs to the Lupinus family of legumes. Pea like flowers grow on a tall flower spike. I remember a huge clump of lupins that my Dad had growing just outside his kitchen door in England. When asked why they grew so well he used to say he emptied his teapot on them each morning!
Lupin seeds do not always grow true to the colour of the plant the seeds were gathered from. My original plant was yellow but after a couple of years it was a light purple colour.
Do not let the plant go to seed too early in the season. If you cut off the first flower spike you will almost certainly get another. When you do let the plant go to seed, small seed pods develop.
Leave these on the plant as long as possible to dry out.
Pick before they split open and drop the seeds.
Sow in early spring.
Soaking seeds in water prior to planting will help germination.
You can also try Nature’s way of sowing seeds. Put some in the ground now, which will give them a dormant period over winter and they should grow in the spring.
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