We used to have a nice drift of Russell lupines as you can see from the photo below. "Used to" is the operative phrase. There are still a few lingerers here and there, but, on the whole, the lupines have disappeared. Here is the story of how we grew them in the first place, how they seemingly failed to grow, eventually prospered and then suddenly vanished.
I started Russell lupines in peat pots one spring almost 10 years ago. They grew well, and at the end of the summer I had 54 little plants. I planted them through the grass along the driveway expecting a nice show the following year. However, the second summer there was hardly a trace of my lupines. I found one or two very small plants, while the others seemed to have melted in the grass. I gave up on them, thinking it was another failed experiment.
At that time, we only came on weekends to Roche Fleurie and not every single weekend. By a coincidence, it so happened that in the third summer we did not come up at lupine time. However we did the fourth summer. Imagine my amazement when, having written them off and almost forgotten that I had planted them, we took a curve in the road and found ourselves in front of a large drift of magnificent lupines.
The fifth summer, they were even more numerous, and I thought we had it made. That they would get better and better on their own. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. In the sixth summer the number of lupines crashed, and there were few left. Nowadays, one or two plants will bloom, but that is it.
Lupines are what are called short-lived perennials, so it is not surprising that the original ones petered out. However I thought they would continue to self seed as they had started to do. The place where they grew got slightly shadier, enough I suppose to make a difference. Besides, lupines prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil, and so they probably did not like our dolomite limestone. Whatever the reason, unfortunately these lupines now only live only in memory and in photographs.
I started Russell lupines in peat pots one spring almost 10 years ago. They grew well, and at the end of the summer I had 54 little plants. I planted them through the grass along the driveway expecting a nice show the following year. However, the second summer there was hardly a trace of my lupines. I found one or two very small plants, while the others seemed to have melted in the grass. I gave up on them, thinking it was another failed experiment.
At that time, we only came on weekends to Roche Fleurie and not every single weekend. By a coincidence, it so happened that in the third summer we did not come up at lupine time. However we did the fourth summer. Imagine my amazement when, having written them off and almost forgotten that I had planted them, we took a curve in the road and found ourselves in front of a large drift of magnificent lupines.
The fifth summer, they were even more numerous, and I thought we had it made. That they would get better and better on their own. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. In the sixth summer the number of lupines crashed, and there were few left. Nowadays, one or two plants will bloom, but that is it.
Lupines are what are called short-lived perennials, so it is not surprising that the original ones petered out. However I thought they would continue to self seed as they had started to do. The place where they grew got slightly shadier, enough I suppose to make a difference. Besides, lupines prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil, and so they probably did not like our dolomite limestone. Whatever the reason, unfortunately these lupines now only live only in memory and in photographs.
Wouldn't self seeded ones revert to a pinkish colour?
ReplyDeleteActually, I think they would tend to revert to blue. However, the few that still appear every year are still of various colours.
DeleteYou know I am fairly ignorant of everything about plants, but here goes. I believe lupine is an invasive species that has crowded out a similar plant in North American waterways. Or else, lupine was crowded out by an invasive look alike.
ReplyDeleteHi Joan, I believe the plant you are thinking of is Purple Loosestrife. The floral emblem of Texas, the bluebonnet, is a lupine (but a different one). The Russell ones grow by roadside in Maine and the maritime provinces.
DeleteI love lupins but it is too soon for me to know if they manage to thrive and self seed here. I had some nice ones last year and am hoping for a repeat performance.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame. The pictures of them at their peak are straight out of a garden magazine! I adore lupines, although of course they don't really grow well in the south. Down here, Baptisia is the closest thing we get to Lupine.
ReplyDeleteThey really are/were pretty. Have you thought of any tall, colourful, lime-loving plant that might replace them in that spot?
ReplyDeleteI never had any luck with lupines when I had my garden on the Escarpment. I inherited a smattering of lupines at our new place, and they surprise me by popping up in unexpected spots. Annoyingly, they are given to planting themselves in the middle of daylily clumps, and outgrowing the daylily. But it's hard to stay mad at such a beauty. Perhaps lupines are a gardener's lesson in appreciating beauty when and where it happens and letting it go. You certainly had a gorgeous display!
ReplyDeleteDo you know Barbara Cooney's picture book "Miss Rumphius"? A favorite of mine.
What a breathtaking sight, Alain! Fabulous! I saw them in the wild in NZ and as always it's stunning to see wildflowers en masse. At least you have a happy memory :). Wonder whether they had too much competition too?
ReplyDeleteThe Russell lupins were originally bred on an allotment here in York many many years ago. They apparently occasionally pop up amongst the vegetables even now.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful drift of flowers when they were flourishing!
ReplyDeleteSad! They were beautiful while they lasted, though. I have never grown them.
ReplyDeleteOh! it was indeed a sight to behold. I would be devastated if they died out like your did :-(. Oh Well, that's part of gardening, I guess. I should offer you congratulations for growing such magnificent plants from seeds, though they lasted only for a short period of time. Spread out lots of coffee ground -- it should make your that portion acidic.
ReplyDeleteLupines are finicky even in the best conditions, it seems. Still...you got to enjoy that glorious show for a while...pretty spectacular!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping. I plan the redo the experiment. The problem is finding the right spot.
ReplyDeleteI've always had a hard time growing lupines (except in Nova Scotia!) but my local friend has a really beautiful patch of them.
ReplyDeleteI love that first photo especially!!