Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Thanks,

Adrian.

Adrian wrote in
news
Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Could it be that the idea is to keep them in a slug-free environment till
they are quite big and fully hardened off so they stand a better chance of
surviving?

Incidentally, tree lupins are much tougher and don't suffer from slugs
anything like as much. I've grown a blue-flowering one that's covered in
blooms at the moment, and has a fantastic scent (but they are quite
variable - another plant from the same packet has rather dull yellow
flowers, and no scent at all :-(.)

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Could it be that the idea is to keep them in a slug-free environment till
they are quite big and fully hardened off so they stand a better chance of
surviving?
I keep mine in big pots overwinter and plant out the next year, seems
to work for me :-)
kate

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.209...
Adrian wrote in
news
Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an
entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Could it be that the idea is to keep them in a slug-free environment till
they are quite big and fully hardened off so they stand a better chance
of
surviving?

Incidentally, tree lupins are much tougher and don't suffer from slugs
anything like as much. I've grown a blue-flowering one that's covered in
blooms at the moment, and has a fantastic scent (but they are quite
variable - another plant from the same packet has rather dull yellow
flowers, and no scent at all :-(.)

I have the solution . Plant the lupins and get a couple of indian runner or
call ducks to eat the slugs. Works for me :0)

Subject: Lupins
From: Victoria Clare
Date: 07/06/2004 10:06 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Adrian wrote in
news
Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Funnily enough, I just noticed last week that the verges along the M8 and M73
are covered in Lupins. It looks lovely.


--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net

"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
Subject: Lupins
From: Victoria Clare
Date: 07/06/2004 10:06 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Adrian wrote in
news
Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an
entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Funnily enough, I just noticed last week that the verges along the M8 and
M73
are covered in Lupins. It looks lovely.

I hope it stays that way. Presumably they were sown by a green "terrorist"
throwing seeds out of the car window. Some years ago I planted some spare
daffodil bulbs on a grass bank near me. They looked great the next spring,
but the council contractors promptly mowed them and they haven't been seen
since. :-((

Steve

In article , shazzbat shazzbat@spamle
ssness.fsnet.co.uk writes

"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
Subject: Lupins
From: Victoria Clare
Date: 07/06/2004 10:06 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Adrian wrote in
news
Dear all,

We've sucessfully grown a large number of lupins from seed and I see
the instructions say not to plant out until Sept. Internet searches
also confirm this.

Frustratingly nobody says why! Can anyone enligten me?

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an
entire
sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Funnily enough, I just noticed last week that the verges along the M8 and
M73
are covered in Lupins. It looks lovely.

I hope it stays that way. Presumably they were sown by a green "terrorist"
throwing seeds out of the car window. Some years ago I planted some spare
daffodil bulbs on a grass bank near me. They looked great the next spring,
but the council contractors promptly mowed them and they haven't been seen
since. :-((

You need to be very careful when planting spare plants in this way - OK
in town, but not in the countryside - our native plants are already
having a tough fight against imported aliens which have escaped from
gardens or been deliberately let loose - himalayan balsam, japanese
knotweed, Rhododendron ponticum, spanish bluebell to name just a fe -
all of these seemed harmless enough at the time.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

emon (Rhiannon S) wrote in
:

Subject: Lupins
From: Victoria Clare

Lupins are very vulnerable to slug/snail attack, and you can lose an
entire sowing overnight (happened to me :-().

Funnily enough, I just noticed last week that the verges along the M8
and M73 are covered in Lupins. It looks lovely.

There's a railway somewhere between Leicester and Birmingham where the
banks used to be covered in them too (purple ones). Fantastic sight.

But ones I grow from seed are just slug magnets. Different variety,
perhaps?

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

Subject: Lupins
From: Victoria Clare
Date: 07/06/2004 14:08 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:


But ones I grow from seed are just slug magnets. Different variety,
perhaps?

Any plant grown intentionally will attract slugs. They seem to know what you
want to keep and what you don't.

[cf the "My slugs are nuts" thread]
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net