I found a couple of plants, in the middle of nowhere, which seemed to
be lupins. The flower spikes and leaves were both smaller than those
of "garden" lupins. They had a marvelluos scent. Do lupins grow wild?

Chris Bacon wrote:
I found a couple of plants, in the middle of nowhere, which seemed to
be lupins. The flower spikes and leaves were both smaller than those
of "garden" lupins. They had a marvelluos scent. Do lupins grow wild?

Not sure whether it's a native (wild) in the British Isles, but lupin
is also grown as a protein/oleaginous crop, so maybe this could be a
stray seed? Most of those I have seen in fields here (Ireland) are a
deep blue shade.

Cat(h)

They grow wild at Christchurch in Hampshire, they seem to like the sandy
soil near the coast but are a short lived shrub.
Regards Grannie Annie

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...

Chris Bacon wrote:
I found a couple of plants, in the middle of nowhere, which seemed to
be lupins. The flower spikes and leaves were both smaller than those
of "garden" lupins. They had a marvelluos scent. Do lupins grow wild?

Not sure whether it's a native (wild) in the British Isles, but lupin
is also grown as a protein/oleaginous crop, so maybe this could be a
stray seed? Most of those I have seen in fields here (Ireland) are a
deep blue shade.

Cat(h)

Following up to Chris Bacon

Do lupins grow wild?

lupinus lupinus moreii can often be found growing wild, it is
often thought of as an escape although it is often now regarded
as more of a recent adaptation to human activity. Unusually,
distribution of the seeds is acheived through a host, common
enough you might say, but uncommon for a specifically human host
to play this role, birds being the norm. In this case collected
specimens drop seeds as the plants are transported between
locations, often after being stolen in much the same way crows
(corvidae) will steal twigs from one another at rookeries. The
seedling then occur around the dwellings of poor people who have
recieved the lupins as unwanted "gifts".

(further reading Moore, Dennis, Your lupins or your life?)
--
Mike Reid
Shetland, Yell and Unst
"http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/skyepics.htm#shetland"

Following up to The Reid :

Following up to Chris Bacon

Do lupins grow wild?

lupinus lupinus moreii can often be found growing wild, it is
often thought of as an escape although it is often now regarded
as more of a recent adaptation to human activity. Unusually,
distribution of the seeds is acheived through a host, common
enough you might say, but uncommon for a specifically human host
to play this role, birds being the norm. In this case collected
specimens drop seeds as the plants are transported between
locations, often after being stolen in much the same way crows
(corvidae) will steal twigs from one another at rookeries. The
seedling then occur around the dwellings of poor people who have
recieved the lupins as unwanted "gifts".

(further reading Moore, Dennis, Your lupins or your life?)

"Don't play the slippery eel with me!"
--
Tim C.

Following up to Tim C.

(further reading Moore, Dennis, Your lupins or your life?)

"Don't play the slippery eel with me!"

"dum de dum de dum"

sorry folks, I blame the vibration from the new strimmer or being
out in the sun too much.
--
Mike Reid
Shetland, Yell and Unst
"http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/skyepics.htm#shetland"

Thanks for the question and all the answers it had generated. I've been wanting to ask this myself. My husband was in New Zealand and took photos of drifts of "wild" lupins on the roadsides. He would like to get the same effect in our new patch of garden so planted out two lupin plants hoping they would seed themselves. I was less sure of his chance of success. And the snails are really enjoying their new diet.

In article ,
trin writes:
|
| Thanks for the question and all the answers it had generated. I've been
| wanting to ask this myself. My husband was in New Zealand and took
| photos of drifts of "wild" lupins on the roadsides. He would like to
| get the same effect in our new patch of garden so planted out two lupin
| plants hoping they would seed themselves. I was less sure of his chance
| of success. And the snails are really enjoying their new diet.

What is the soil and location? That could work in the east, on most
poor, well-drained soils, but would be tricky elsewhere. Where you
see lupins self-sown in the UK is often on old piles of gravel and
similar.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

We are in the s/west. Well drained loam but probably good rather than poor. Is rain the problem in the west? This was a sudden whim of his. We will have a biggish area to fill so perhaps its worth a go to see what happens. It may have to be something else rather than lupins.