LUPINUS

Lupine. Hardy annual and hardy perennial



Both the annual and the perennial Lupines are extremely valuable for

garden decoration and for supplying an abundance of cut blooms. Each

class includes a number of charming colours and many of the flowers are

delightfully scented. Not the least of their merits is the fact that

Lupines are not particular as to soil; indeed, the annual sorts will

often thrive on ground that is too poor for other and more fastidious

subjects.



The annual varieties should be sown where intended to flower, as they do

not transplant well. Sow the seed in March, April, or May, and

subsequently allow each specimen a space of about eighteen inches for

development.



L. polyphyllus is a valuable race of perennial Lupines which, from a

sowing made in March or April and treated as annuals, will produce a

fine show in the following autumn. In order to insure a display earlier

in the season, however, many growers of these flowers prefer to sow in

June and July of the preceding year. Two varieties of L. arboreus form

large bushes which are distinctly ornamental when in full bloom. The

seed should be sown in June or July and the seedlings transplanted to

flowering positions before they become very large.