Lupine garden perennial planting and care. Soil preparation for planting

Lupins are perennial garden plants the legume family. There are also annual species that are used in agriculture as a fodder crop and soil green manure.

Growing features

Lupins are very common plants that are easy to grow. Planting material in the form of seeds of hybrid origin is always on sale, and young plants can also be purchased at specialized fairs.

Landing in the ground

Landing methods

Most often, lupine is planted in the ground with one-two-month-old seedlings. A plant with two to four true leaves is transferred to the ground with a clod of earth so as not to damage the root. Planted with a distance of at least 50 cm between plants, because. lupins grow well and quickly.

Landing time

The best time for planting seedlings is spring. During the warm period, the plant will take root, grow stronger and grow, flower buds will be laid, some hybrid varieties may bloom in the first year.

Soil composition

The soil under the lupins is preferably neutral, but slightly acidic or slightly alkaline is also possible. A site is being prepared for planting seedlings in the fall: they are seasoned with nitrogen-free fertilizer, dolomite flour is applied on acidic soils, and peat on alkaline soils. It is very useful to add ash in the fall.

Planting in autumn

You can plant lupins in the fall. Usually they plant grown seedlings from shkolki on permanent place, cut delenki bushes, rooted cuttings or sow seeds.

Planting seeds

Seeds are sown on seedlings or in open ground. Seedlings are grown at home or in a greenhouse, sowing it in March - April, in order to transfer it to the ground after the end of spring frosts. These plants bloom the next year after planting.

Autumn sowing is carried out in open ground. In this case, the seeds will undergo natural stratification and germinate together in spring, and by the end of summer they will bloom in autumn.

Location and lighting

Lupins prefer to grow in an open sunny place. In deep shade, the vegetative mass grows, the stems stretch, flowering becomes weak. Penumbra is well tolerated and does not reduce the decorative effect of the flower.

Air humidity

Lupins do not require high or low air humidity, they adapt well to any microclimate, they have enough natural level.

Watering

Newly planted seedlings of lupins and other plants need watering. planting material. Mature plants do not need additional soil moisture, the background moisture is quite enough - this drought resistant plants, the tap root of which goes to a considerable depth, extracting water and nutrients for the entire plant.

top dressing

It is recommended to fertilize the plants once a year at the beginning of the growing season. The composition of the fertilizer should not contain nitrogen - nodules are formed on the roots of lupins, in which bacteria live, storing nitrogen from the soil and air, and converting it into a form that is well absorbed by plants. Lupins enrich any soil with nitrogen. Therefore, only phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied under them to support the splendor of flowering.

pruning

Lupins do not need formative pruning. It is customary to cut off leafless stems with faded tassels. This stimulates the laying of new flower buds to re-bloom in autumn and next year.

Transplantation of adult lupins is a very painful procedure. The plant has a powerful tap root, extending to a depth much greater than the length of a spade bayonet. Therefore, damage to the root to one degree or another during transplantation is almost always inevitable. This entails a loss of decorativeness, a decrease in survival in a new place, and possibly the death of the plant. Therefore, it is preferable to grow lupins in one place.

Transplant method

With an urgent need to move the plant, they dig it out with the deepest possible recess - they make a trench around the bush, take out the lupine with a clod of earth and transfer it to a new place. The earth is not shaken off the roots - this can damage fragile roots and tear off nitrogen-containing nodules, without which the plant will not survive. They are planted at the same or slightly greater depth in a previously prepared hole, adding earth from the previous place of growth to cover the roots. Water well, cover with dry soil on top. The first time they shade, at least 2 weeks.

reproduction

Lupins are propagated by seeds and vegetatively: cuttings and part of the rhizome.

seed propagation

Apply this method of reproduction in spring and autumn. In early spring, seeds are sown in seedling containers at home or in a garden bed in a greenhouse. Embedding depth - 2 cm. Germination occurs within 2 - 3 weeks. Soon the true leaves appear. Lupine grows quickly, and after a month, seedlings can be planted in open ground, if allowed. weather. But lupins are quite cold-resistant, so you should not delay planting seedlings - the less formed the stem stem is by this time, the more painlessly the procedure will go. It is convenient to grow each plant in a separate paper pot: before planting, it can be easily removed by tearing, or planted directly in it - the paper decomposes quickly, it is not an obstacle for the spread of a powerful root. In this case, when planting in the ground, even overgrown plants with well-developed roots will not be damaged.

Parental traits during seed reproduction are not always transmitted. That is why seeds are usually on sale marked "mixture". If the packaging indicates that these are F1 hybrid seeds, then the probability of obtaining a plant by variety increases, but re-sorting is not excluded in this case.

At autumn breeding seeds are sown directly into the ground. This method is preferable, because. plants become stronger and more winter-hardy.

Both those and other plants bloom in the next season.

cuttings

Axillary cuttings are rooted, broken out with part of the root collar. This is done immediately after flowering. Rooting occurs outdoors in the shade, in breathable soil, it is possible in sandy soil. The roots appear in less than a month, at first they are fibrous, they can be transplanted to a permanent place without much risk of losing the plant.

rhizome

During autumn work in the garden, the middle, oldest part is removed from the bush of a four-year-old lupine. Radical shoots have already spread around it, which will bloom in the coming years. The excavated rhizome is examined and young viable segments with germinated or dormant buds are found in it. These parts of the rhizome are separated and used for propagation - they are planted in a new place.

flowering time

Lupine blooms in spring or early summer - depending on natural area growth. With the timely removal of faded parts of the plant, re-flowering is possible. After flowering, fruits are formed - beans with seeds.

Shape and color

Lupine inflorescence is a multi-flowered raceme, dense or loose. The flowers themselves are decorative both indoors and outdoors. open form. The coloring of the buds in the brush goes from bottom to top.

Natural species and the first hybrids are blue, purple or mixed with white. Modern hybrid varieties are diverse in color.

Problems

Lupine is a strong, disease and pest resistant plant. Under very unfavorable conditions (deep shade, swampy soil, stagnant cool air) can be affected by root and leaf rot and be attacked by sprout flies, aphids and thrips. In this case, insecticide treatment is necessary and antifungal drugs. But only a change in the place of growth of lupins can radically solve the problems.

Popular types and varieties

The gardens are grown mainly perennial varieties multi-leaved hybrids of American origin. Most of them were bred by breeder George Russell over 100 years ago. Russell's group has plants with flowers of various colors. These are very winter-hardy flowers, now common throughout the globe. The most popular are:

• Castle (MyCastle, MeinSchloss)- tall plants with brick-red flowers;
• Candelabra (Chandelier, Kronleuchter)- a spectacular plant with a lemon yellow brush;
• Governor- color blue-violet with a white sail;
• Citizen (Burg Freulein)- with absolutely white flowers;
• Beautiful Lady (Schlossfrau)- with pink and white tassels;
• Descendant of an aristocrat (Edelknabe)- carmine-red flowers.

Modern breeders continue to work in the field of hybridization of lupins, every year new varieties appear. Of interest are miniature and dwarf varieties, as well as hybrids that bloom in the first year. However, Russell hybrids are an unsurpassed classic.

Note to florist

• The old rhizome is not thrown away when digging out of the bush: it still has nodules with nitrogen-recycling bacteria. Therefore, the rhizome is cut and its parts are buried in cultivated land - they will enrich any soil. This piece of land does not need to be fertilized with nitrogen. You can use pieces of the old rhizome to introduce into the soil for some indoor crops, such as citrus plants.
• Lupine fruit- pods filled with seeds that can spill out when ripe and germinate with off-brand plants, clogging the planting site. To prevent mixing of varietal plants with simple stems are pruned after flowering. Ripe seeds can be scattered in the surrounding uncultivated areas: perhaps in a few years blue lupins will grow in the wasteland.

Answers on questions

Lupine - perennial. It self-repairs, forming around mother plant new sockets. However, decorativeness decreases over time - the plant grows. In nature, this does not matter, but in the garden it is necessary to replace the entire plant or dig out the central part of the bush about once every 4 to 6 years.

Why isn't lupine blooming?

Perhaps the plant is still too young: when propagated by seed in spring, the plant blooms in the second year.

It is also possible that the flower has grown old and overgrown - a bush needs to be changed.

Why do leaves turn yellow?

Usually lupine goes under the snow with green leaves. But it is possible from the autumn dieback with the resumption of growth in the spring. With summer wilting of leaves, pest damage or death of roots is very likely, for example, after an unsuccessful transplant.

Lupins are beautiful trouble-free plants of the garden, backyard and any free territory. Their decorative effect and ability to enrich the soil makes them indispensable in the development of new areas.

Lupine is a plant of the legume family, well known to many of us. This beautiful, bright flower is surprisingly hardy and unpretentious to environmental conditions, so you can meet it anywhere. Gardeners fell in love with lupine not only for their decorative characteristics, but also due to the ability to enrich the soil with useful substances and suppress the growth of weeds. grow it on own site easy enough - for this you need to know a few simple rules.

The name of the flower comes from the Latin word lupus, which means "wolf" - for this reason it is often called wolf beans.

homeland of lupine North America, but its habitat is much wider, because it takes root well not only at sea level, but also at an altitude of up to 5 thousand meters, and alpine species often reach four meters in height. This plant has been known to people since the times of Ancient Greece - there its inflorescences decorated the tombs of the pharaohs. Initially, the flower was considered an ordinary weed, but after the appearance of hybrid species, it began to be grown in decorative purposes. The world-famous breeder Russell made a special contribution to the cultivation of lupine, who brought out the most beautiful and favorite varieties of gardeners: Mein Schloss, Splendid, Burg Freulin, etc.

Some plant species contain a substance called lupinine, which is a strong natural poison. But "safe" flowers are often used as animal feed, as they contain a large amount of protein and proteins. Also, oil for the cosmetic industry is obtained from lupine, which is close to olive in its characteristics, but does not contain substances that slow down the digestive tract.

But lupine has found its greatest use in horticulture, since its cultivation favorably affects the quality of the soil. The roots of the plant are pivotal, and can reach a meter or even two in depth, making the soil looser. In addition, there are small swellings on the root system of the flower, which are able to absorb nitrogen and enrich the soil with it. Finally, rotting lupine shoots can serve organic fertilizer- to reduce acidity, they are buried in the ground to a depth of 20 cm.

General information

Today, at least two hundred plant species are known, among which there are both annuals and perennials. No more than ten species are cultivated on the territory of Russia, but they differ in a wide variety of colors and shades.

In height, lupine bushes can grow up to 1-1.5 meters (depending on the species), and have dense grassy or tree-like stems that can grow straight, bulge or spread along the ground. The palmate leaves of the plant are collected in 5-6 pieces on a basal rosette. The flowers, which slightly resemble the fruits of peas, are interconnected, forming a large brush. They bloom in early summer and come in a variety of colors - white, yellow, red, pink, cream, and all shades of purple. Lupine fruits are similar to bean pods - after ripening, they dry out and crack, throwing out seeds. To prevent self-sowing, seeds must be collected immediately after the fruits turn yellow.

Lupine can be grown both from seeds and cuttings, basal rosettes or side shoots. It should be noted that in the first case, you can get a plant of a different shade ( White color practically disappears, and purple prevails), so you can collect pure-grade seeds only if you isolate plantings of the same color.

plant species

The most common types of plants include:

• . A perennial that came to us from North America. It reaches a height of about two meters, has straight branched shoots and white, yellow or red flowers;

  

• . An annual native to the Mediterranean. It is the most common self-pollinating species and can grow up to two meters. Its stem is straight, pubescent, inflorescences are thin, with white flowers. Resistant to intense heat and drought;

  

• . An annual heat-loving plant with sparse, hairy leaves. yellow flowers, which grow on short pedicels, have a strong but pleasant smell. The seeds are slightly flattened on the sides;

  

• . The plant is a small dense bushes with dense flowers. blue tint and bright yellow spots. It takes root well after planting, and if you collect the seeds immediately after flowering and with the onset of heat, sow them in open space, the flower will bloom almost all summer;

  

• . The main area of ​​growth is North America. It grows up to 100-150 cm, has complex, pubescent leaves on one side. It blooms in the second half of summer with bright blue, intense purple, white or two-tone flowers, which slightly resemble moths in shape, and are collected in large brushes. It has good frost resistance, and can grow without problems in harsh climatic conditions;

  

• silver lupine. A very variable plant that grows mainly in the West. It has several short stems, complex palmate leaves and flowers with dark cobalt petals and a white or red center;
• . Herbaceous plant, growing up to 80-150 cm with palmate, separate, slightly pubescent leaves at the bottom. The flowers are quite large, white, pink or purple, odorless.

  

Growing from seed

Lupine is a hardy and drought tolerant plant, but still prefers slightly alkaline and slightly acidic loamy soils. A flower can also live on alkaline soils, but then it will turn yellow, so it is best to add peat before planting - about 5 kg per square meter. If the soil is acidic, you need to balance the level of acidity by adding a similar amount of dolomite or lime flour.

You can start growing lupine as early as April - for this, the seeds (it is recommended to pickle them with 50% foundationol beforehand) are sown in a loose mixture consisting of soddy soil, peat and sand (1: 1: 0.5). It is better to mix it with the crushed roots of old flowers beforehand in order to accelerate the reproduction of bacteria that absorb nitrogen.

Watering the seeds should be moderate, and the first shoots appear after about 1-2 weeks (if you want the shoots to be simultaneous, it is better to cover them with moistened gauze and place them in heat).

The shoots are transplanted into the flower garden after the first strong leaves appear on them (this happens after about 20 days), and warm weather sets in outside the window, and the last frosts pass. It is not worth delaying with this procedure - root system lupine develops quickly enough, and planting it will be quite difficult.

When planting shoots between them, a distance of at least 30-50 cm should be maintained. In addition, lupine can be planted for the winter, right in open ground, simply by scattering the seeds and lightly sprinkling them with peat. The appearance of the first flowers on winter plantings should be expected in August.

Cuttings and other propagation methods

Vegetative propagation methods of lupine allow you to preserve the color of the plant, but are only suitable for young bushes, as they are less hardy and root too deeply. To obtain a cutting, you need to cut a side shoot with a sharp knife (one of those that form in the axils of the leaves) - you need to plant such cuttings in the summer. If planting will be carried out in the spring, basal rosettes should be used, which are formed on the stems from below.

landing care

Despite the unpretentiousness of the lupine, for the first time after landing, it requires attention and some care measures.

1. In the first year, the soil around the shoots needs to be loosened and weeded out.

   

2. The frequency and amount of watering depends on the plant variety, soil composition and planting period, but abundant watering is usually required only after planting the seeds, as well as during the formation of buds.
3. Sometimes the root part of the plants can be exposed - in this case, it must be sprinkled with earth.
4. In spring, plantings are fed with mineral fertilizers.
5. After two years of growth, lupines should be hilled - this allows the lateral roots to grow, which is the key to health and an attractive appearance of flowers.

   

6. If the landing is located in a windy place, adult bushes will need to be tied up, otherwise they may break.
7. In order to prolong flowering, faded shoots are pruned before the fruits dry - then in August the lupins will bloom again, and the seeds are formed before the first frost.
8. To prevent self-reproduction, inflorescences should be cut immediately after flowering.
9. Lupins tolerate frost well, but strong temperature changes are detrimental to them, so they are covered for the winter.

   

10. After 4-5 years of growth, the bushes are best removed, as over time the plants lose their ability to bloom and their decorative qualities. They can also be transplanted to another place, but even in this case it is recommended to “dilute” them with young shoots.

    

Diseases and pests

Lupins are susceptible to a number of ailments and pest damage - among the latter, aphids, weevils and sprout flies should be distinguished. Insects are especially dangerous for planting during the appearance of buds, therefore, in order not to lose the planting, they should be sprayed with insecticides, regularly treat the soil and cut off overgrown bushes, giving them a shape.

The most common lupine diseases are brown spot, powdery mildew, white and black rot. They are caused by fungal microorganisms that actively multiply in wet, wetlands, so plants are best planted in sunny areas.

The main signs of damage are rounded gray spots with brown edges that appear on leaves, stems and cuttings. In this case, the leaves can twist, turn brown and fall off. In order to prevent diseases for sowing, it is necessary to choose only healthy seeds, pre-treat them, and keep the leaves dry during the growing process. Infected plants should be removed and destroyed immediately. The same should be done if part of the flower is affected by the disease - young shoots usually grow healthy.

In landscape design, lupine looks especially good in mixed landings with irises, delphiniums, lilies, peonies, etc. Growing this beautiful and useful plant not without difficulties, but most often it takes root well even among novice gardeners.

Video - Features of planting lupine

Its name "Lupinus" is translated from Latin as "wolf". It is not clear why he was given such a name, maybe for the shape of the flowers, a bit similar in shape to a wolf's face, or because the lupine beans are bitter, it is sometimes called “wolf beans”. In the genus of this plant there are both annual and perennial species, but here we will talk about decorative, garden lupine, it is a perennial.

Ornamental lupine belongs to the species "multi-leaved lupine" - "Lupinus poliphyllos", or rather, the wild ancestor of the garden lupine, originating from America, is called. About a hundred years ago, English gardeners crossed this type of lupine with another type, and got a good decorative form. And their compatriot Russell, who was in love with lupins and devoted 15 years to their selection, brought out the modern form of lupine with flowers of various colors.

Today, Russell's varieties are the most beautiful garden lupins. They are not inferior in decorativeness to phloxes, irises, delphiniums. the best varieties. There are tall varieties in this group, reaching a height of 1 meter, and there are low varieties with many inflorescences. The color is also very diverse, the most interesting color of lupine is bi-color, when two colors are present in one inflorescence, for example, yellow with blue, red with orange, etc.

Probably the most unpretentious of ornamental perennials - from seeds, undemanding soil fertility, good winter hardiness make it a desirable crop in the garden. A powerful and deep root system protects it from a slight drought. In addition, lupine has an important advantage, like all legumes, it accumulates nitrogen, improves and loosens the soil. This is an excellent predecessor for crops that need fertile and well-cultivated soil. Lupine itself prefers loamy or sandy soils, but can also grow on poor soils. But strongly acidic clay soils lupine does not tolerate, it grows well on neutral or slightly acidic soils.

Sowing

This plant is easily propagated by self-sowing, but in order for lupine from seeds to retain varietal qualities, there should not be another variety of lupine nearby. Otherwise, you will grow "outbred" lupine. Growing from seeds is the easiest way to propagate lupine.

When to sow lupins? You can sow lupine seeds for seedlings, for this they are sown in mid-April in a greenhouse or in a box on a windowsill. As soon as the weather allows, young plants can be planted in a permanent place. This should be done carefully: lupine does not like transplants. seedling method allows you to get flowering plants in the year of sowing.

You can sow lupines until mid-summer, then around the beginning of June next year you will get flowering lupines. Growing from seed is perhaps best started in the fall. Lupine is sown before winter, with dry seeds. This will allow him to start growing in early spring. If they want to grow lupine for seeds or for cutting, then it is planted with a distance between plants of 40 cm (between rows of 60 cm), but in a flower garden you can plant it more often.

Care

To prolong the flowering of lupine, faded inflorescences are cut off, preventing seeds from forming. Lupine needs weeding, making phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the second half of summer. In a dry summer, lupins have to be watered, watering should be rare, but plentiful. Unfortunately, the lupine bush is not very durable, after four years it is desirable to replace old plants, they begin to lose their decorative effect and it is advisable to replace them with young ones. By the way, thanks to self-sowing, this plant can become a real weed. In Norway, for example, it is a hard-to-remove weed, so it is forbidden to plant lupins outside the gardens. Growing from seed is not the only way to propagate lupine. A particularly successful specimen can be propagated vegetatively. When the plant has faded, cuttings are cut from it with a piece of the root neck. They are rooted in a greenhouse, at a low temperature (18-20 degrees), it is better to do this at the end of the summer ��HP / U;s of enterprise development and resource efficiency.

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Beautiful, unpretentious, and even useful. Isn't it an almost perfect flower? This is a lupine. A mysterious plant with an ancient history. But, unfortunately, now it is not used as often in our area to decorate the garden as it deserves. But it is one of the favorites of the Japanese and British. Look how magnificent lupine can be, the photos clearly confirm this.

Lupinus- herbaceous plant legume family, which can be annual, biennial or perennial. Its tap root grows to a depth of 2 m. And the palmate, slightly pubescent leaves form a rosette at the root and are always turned towards the sun. In their appearance, they are somewhat reminiscent of the leaves of a fan palm and therefore are decorative in themselves.

The peduncle grows up to 150 cm. And the dense inflorescence-ear, consisting of moth flowers, resembles multi-colored candles. This beauty blooms twice (at proper care) at the beginning and end of summer. First, the lower flowers bloom, and then gradually the middle and upper ones. The process of opening flowers begins at sunrise and continues until sunset.

Variegated and shiny seeds are enclosed in a leathery, pubescent bean. This bean is poisonous, and even translated from Latin "lupus" - a wolf, so lupine is popularly called "wolf beans".

In nature, it is widely distributed. And its history goes back over 4 thousand years. It was then that on the territory of the ancient states of Greece, Egypt and Rome they began to cultivate white lupine as a food, fodder and medicinal crop. Later, the Americans cultivated the changeable lupine.

In nature, there are many various kinds lupins (up to 300). Annuals are mostly used for practical purposes in agriculture. For decorative use, perennial species are of greater interest.

Annual species:

• Lupine white(Lupinus albus) is a self-pollinating, very unpretentious annual species, as well as in ancient times, it is actively used in agriculture as green manure and fodder crop.
• Lupine yellow(Lupinus luteus) is an annual cross-pollinating species, less hardy, also used as an agricultural crop.
• Lupine angustifolia or blue (Lupinus angustifolius) - self-pollinating early maturing species. Differs in high frost resistance. The flowers are most often blue, but pale purple, pink and white are also found. A very popular fodder crop and excellent green manure.
• Lupine hybrid(Lupinus hybridus) is an unpretentious ornamental annual, diverse in its forms and varieties.
• Lupine pygmy(Lupinus nanus) is a low decorative annual with cobalt blue flowers, the beauty of which is emphasized by yellow and white spots.
• Lupine is changeable(Lupinus mutabilis) - decorative annual, its pale yellow flowers have an upper petal of blue or lilac color which gradually turns red.
• Lupine Hartweg(Lupinus hartwegii) is an ornamental annual, its variegated flowers tend to change color during flowering. Very decorative.

Make sure that one-year-old lupine can also be beautiful: photo decorative types.

Lupine yellow
Lupine angustifolia or blue

Lupine pygmy
Lupine Hartweg

Perennial species:

• Lupine multifolia(Lupinus polyphyllus) - this species is very unpretentious and decorative. Has many garden forms and hybrid varieties of monophonic and bicolor various colors. For example, pink-flowered Roseus, Rubinkonig with ruby-purple flowers, orange Apricot, snow-white Albus and others.

Lupines are many-leaved

I would especially like to note the lupins bred by the talented English breeder George Russell. Lupine many-leaved pink, blue and white forms was taken by him as a basis. And since 1911, Russell has created many beautiful hybrid varieties such as Mein Schloss, Castellan, Splendid, Minaret (undersized), Lulu (early) and others.

Reproduction methods

An annual lupine is always propagated by seeds, and a perennial lupine is always propagated by seeds and vegetatively.

Seeds can be sown directly into the ground both in autumn (at the end of October) and in spring (in April). Autumn sowing is most suitable for varieties that can propagate by self-sowing and are quite frost-resistant. In this case, flowering will begin in August. And the seeds sown in early April will bloom the next year at the end of May.

And after about 20-40 days, when the first strong leaves appear, they are transplanted directly to the flower bed.

The core structure of the lupine root system makes it intolerant of transplants. Therefore, it cannot be propagated by dividing the bush.

The vegetative method of propagation of perennial species involves cuttings. As cuttings in the spring, they take the formed new basal rosettes with growth buds (they are carefully cut from the root neck), and in the summer they use young side shoots, which have time to form in the axils of the leaves. They are rooted in a shaded place, adding sand to the soil. After about a month, young plants will take root and they can be transplanted to the chosen place.

Lupine seeds

It should also be taken into account that seed propagation can give splitting, and young plants can turn out to be different from the parent ones. hybrid varieties perennial lupins are therefore best propagated vegetatively.

After flowering, withered inflorescences must be cut off. This spoils the appearance, inhibits further flowering and takes extra strength from the plant to form seeds. Therefore, to collect seeds, leave only a few dry inflorescences for ripening. The darkening and dryness of the pod is an indicator of its maturity.

Seed collection is best done in dry and sunny weather. Remove them from the pod, dry (but not in the sun!) and store in glass jar with a tightly screw cap, in a cloth or paper bag.

Necessary care

The leaves of lupine and its flowers turn towards the sun even in cloudy weather, so a sunny place should be chosen for planting. In addition, this plant is thermophilic. It is especially undemanding to soils; it grows well on loamy and slightly acidic soils. Due to the peculiarities of the roots, it is drought tolerant and can also grow on sandy soil. The long and powerful tap root goes deep into the soil and finds water there, and it also has the specific feature of accumulating nitrogen in the root nodules and fertilizing itself.

During the first year after planting perennial lupine grows and strengthens. Caring for it comes down to moderate watering, removing weeds and loosening the soil.

In subsequent years, he will need top dressing with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. If necessary, adjust the acidity of the soil to prevent strong alkalization or acidification.

With age, the plant becomes bare root neck, in this case, you need to pour the earth, as it were, spud it. After 4-6 years, perennial lupine should be removed and new plants planted.

Tall lupins, especially if they grow in windy places, require a garter to a support. Since under the weight of a large inflorescence they can break. Dry flowers should be constantly cut off, preventing them from forming. This will allow the plant to re-bloom in late summer. In addition, it will protect against unwanted self-seeding.

To prepare perennial lupine for winter, dry and damaged leaves should be removed. Mulch the root circle with some material that does not cause a change in the acidity of the soil. Tree-like and other species with poor frost resistance need to be additionally covered.

Diseases and pests

Lupine is a strong and resistant plant, however, excessive watering and swampy soil can provoke such fungal diseases, like root and gray rot, fusarium wilt, various spotting and others. In the fight against them, preventive treatment of seeds before sowing, compliance with the rules of care is important. For prevention, you can occasionally water lupins with a weak solution of manganese. If you notice symptoms of one of these diseases, then immediately remove the damaged part of the plant and treat it and the soil around it with some kind of fungicide.

Pests such as May beetle larvae, sprout flies and wireworms can infect seeds immediately after planting. And during the period of bud formation, damage to aphid inflorescences can be observed. Insecticides are used to control pests.

Angustifolium lupine and other agricultural uses may be affected by anthracnose. This disease is insidious in that it can acquire a latent form. For prevention, it is recommended to treat the seed material with special chemicals, and at the first signs of the disease, double spraying with fungicides.

Use as a siderata

Even in ancient times, lupine was used as a food and fodder crop. Its fruits contain up to 50% protein and 5 to 20% oil, which in its properties is very close to olive oil. Due to this, fodder lupine is highly valued in animal husbandry and fisheries. In addition, it is widely used in medicine, cosmetology, pharmacology and even cooking.

Lupine is also popular all over the world as green manure - a green eco-friendly fertilizer that enriches the soil with nitrogen and inhibits the growth of weeds. Thanks to its long root, lupine can extract useful substances from the depths and process hard-to-reach soil elements.

In our country, varieties of three such species are used: yellow lupine, white lupine and narrow-leaved lupine. In agriculture, all their varieties are divided into two groups: alkaloid (bitter) - completely going to fertilizers and alkaloid-free (sweet) - the green part of which goes to feed livestock, and the underground part - to fertilizers.

Lupine yellow
Lupine white

One of the best green manure Lupine is considered narrow-leaved. It enriches the soil not only with nitrogen, but also with calcium, potassium, phosphorus and other elements. It also improves their structure and soil fertility.

However, this flower also has a drawback. The presence of a large number of alkaloids in its green mass can affect taste qualities products grown on fertilized land. Smallest number alkaloids have yellow and white types. And the most alkaloid is narrow-leaved.

Lupine is sown as green manure at different times (depending on the variety). So, yellow and narrow-leaved - sown in the spring and at the very beginning of summer, and white can be sown right up to the fall. Before planting, the soil must be loosened and the seeds sown in rows, deepening by about 3 cm. The distance between rows is 15-20 cm, and it should be 5-15 cm between plants. It is important to ensure that the crops are well watered.

The plant is cut with a flat cutter approximately 56 days after sowing. It is very important to cut at the right time: when there are already buds, but before they acquire color.

It should be noted that the humification process occurs with a large amount of moisture.

In order to choose the right siderate lupine for your site, consider some of their features. The most tolerant of sandy soil is yellow lupine. White lupine is the only species that grows on carbonate soils. And narrow-leaved lupine does not like strong compaction of the soil and the formation of a crust on the surface.

Please note that when growing as green manure, it is the annual species that is used.

Place in landscape design

AT landscape design prefer to use perennial lupine. Since it does not require sowing every year and has large quantity beautiful hybrid varieties.

Group plantings of this plant are very effective. They are incredibly beautiful in a group during flowering, and after it a large number original leaves retains further decorative fit.

You can often find perennial lupine in mixborders, as it goes well with other perennials. This is a wonderful plant for the middle tier. When the lupine fades, the flowering plants of the lower tier support the decorativeness of its leaves. It looks interesting and original on narrow discounts.

A special friendship leads perennial lupine with peonies. Neighborhood with plants that have large roots is undesirable for peonies. However, with lupine, they wonderfully complement each other aesthetically and biologically. Lupine, as it were, feeds peonies, and they look great side by side in a flower bed. In the early years, the bushes of young peonies look modest, so a multi-leaf lupine planted side by side will add decorativeness to the composition and cover empty spaces.

It is very important that after peonies, other flowers grow extremely poorly in this place. This is due to the fact that peonies deplete the earth, and they also release a specific substance into the soil that inhibits other flowering plants. In order not to have to change the soil in the flower bed, it is enough to sow annual lupine there for one or two years, and the toxins will be neutralized.

In addition to peonies, multi-leaved lupine goes well with astilbes and hostas, as well as such favorite flowering perennials as irises, garden chamomile, delphiniums, lilies. Originally complement each other large flower ears of lupine and small inflorescences of speedwell spike. A delightful contrasting composition is formed by large orange escholcia with cobalt blue undersized lupins.

Admire the lupins, photos of beautiful landscape compositions with his participation.

Lupine is very diverse and beautiful, planting and caring for it are quite simple. And the combination of a delightful flower and environmentally friendly fertilizer in one person makes it simply indispensable for the garden. By planting this flower on your site, you will get great aesthetic pleasure, as well as a reliable assistant.