I am trying to follow Christopher Lloyds practice of growing some short
lived perennials, such as Lupins, Foxgloves and more, as biennials - in a
reserve area. He planted Lupins late to stop them flowering in the first
year. The implication is that they weaked the plant. Does anyone have any
evidence of this. And could you not plant earlier (for bigger plants) and
just cut the flowering stems off.

Peter Sutton - cold clay in Yorkshire

Peter Sutton writes
I am trying to follow Christopher Lloyds practice of growing some short
lived perennials, such as Lupins, Foxgloves and more, as biennials - in a
reserve area. He planted Lupins late to stop them flowering in the first
year. The implication is that they weaked the plant. Does anyone have any
evidence of this. And could you not plant earlier (for bigger plants) and
just cut the flowering stems off.

Peter Sutton - cold clay in Yorkshire

I'd have thought, on cold clay in Yorkshire, you'd find it difficult to
get lupins to flower the first year whatever you did.

--
Kay - cold clay somewhere else in Yorkshire

"K" wrote in message
...
Peter Sutton writes
I am trying to follow Christopher Lloyds practice of growing some short
lived perennials, such as Lupins, Foxgloves and more, as biennials - in a
reserve area. He planted Lupins late to stop them flowering in the first
year. The implication is that they weaked the plant. Does anyone have any
evidence of this. And could you not plant earlier (for bigger plants) and
just cut the flowering stems off.

Peter Sutton - cold clay in Yorkshire

I'd have thought, on cold clay in Yorkshire, you'd find it difficult to
get lupins to flower the first year whatever you did.

--
Kay - cold clay somewhere else in Yorkshire

Perhaps you are right Kay - sow biennials in spring and don't worry

"Peter Sutton" wrote in message
...

"K" wrote in message
...
Peter Sutton writes
I am trying to follow Christopher Lloyds practice of growing some short
lived perennials, such as Lupins, Foxgloves and more, as biennials - in
a
reserve area. He planted Lupins late to stop them flowering in the first
year. The implication is that they weaked the plant. Does anyone have
any
evidence of this. And could you not plant earlier (for bigger plants)
and
just cut the flowering stems off.

Peter Sutton - cold clay in Yorkshire

I'd have thought, on cold clay in Yorkshire, you'd find it difficult to
get lupins to flower the first year whatever you did.

--
Kay - cold clay somewhere else in Yorkshire

Perhaps you are right Kay - sow biennials in spring and don't worry


I thought Christopher Lloyd did not like lupins-I remembering him saying
they flower briefly and then don't do much other than attract greenfly:-)
My sister grows lupins(biennial/perennial) from seed very early and gets a
late flush of flowers the same year. They then get composted unless there is
any particular star performer. She seems to avoid the dreaded greenfly
problem by this method.

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes


I thought Christopher Lloyd did not like lupins-I remembering him saying
they flower briefly and then don't do much other than attract greenfly:-)
My sister grows lupins(biennial/perennial) from seed very early and gets a
late flush of flowers the same year.

Whereabouts is she gardening?


They then get composted unless there is
any particular star performer. She seems to avoid the dreaded greenfly
problem by this method.



--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes


I thought Christopher Lloyd did not like lupins-I remembering him saying
they flower briefly and then don't do much other than attract greenfly:-)
My sister grows lupins(biennial/perennial) from seed very early and gets a
late flush of flowers the same year.

Whereabouts is she gardening?


They then get composted unless there is
any particular star performer. She seems to avoid the dreaded greenfly
problem by this method.



--
Kay

She is only a short distance from me but her garden is in an area called
"The Dell" which has the local reputation of being one of the best areas to
have a garden around here. All her plants are many weeks in advance of mine.
The Lupins are sown very early and grown on in the greenhouse, so I suppose
that is cheating a bit:-)

I am trying to follow Christopher Lloyds practice of growing some
short
lived perennials, such as Lupins, Foxgloves and more, as biennials -
in a
reserve area. He planted Lupins late to stop them flowering in the
first
year. The implication is that they weaked the plant. Does anyone have
any
evidence of this. And could you not plant earlier (for bigger plants)
and just cut the flowering stems off.

I'd have thought, on cold clay in Yorkshire, you'd find it difficult
to
get lupins to flower the first year whatever you did.

I thought Christopher Lloyd did not like lupins-I remembering him saying
they flower briefly and then don't do much other than attract greenfly:-)
My sister grows lupins(biennial/perennial) from seed very early and gets a
late flush of flowers the same year. They then get composted unless there
is
any particular star performer. She seems to avoid the dreaded greenfly
problem by this method.

C Lloyd did grow Lupins, but because you can't do anything with them
afterwards, he grew them as biennials then composted them. He sowed them in
autumn so they would flower early the next year. I wish them to flower early
too, as I have a shortage of good early flowering plants and a surplus of
good late flowering plants. I appreciate they don't flower for that long, so
would be grateful of any suggestions of other early flowering biennials. I
am resorting to biennial as a supplement to the small number of early
flowering perennials, that can be lifted after flowering to make way for a
second shift of later flowering plants.

Peter Sutton writes

C Lloyd did grow Lupins, but because you can't do anything with them
afterwards, he grew them as biennials then composted them. He sowed them in
autumn so they would flower early the next year. I wish them to flower early
too, as I have a shortage of good early flowering plants and a surplus of
good late flowering plants. I appreciate they don't flower for that long, so
would be grateful of any suggestions of other early flowering biennials.

Wallflowers ;-)

A lot of annuals can be sown in August or September for early flowers -
would that be an alternative?
--
Kay

C Lloyd did grow Lupins, but because you can't do anything with them
afterwards, he grew them as biennials then composted them. He sowed them
in
autumn so they would flower early the next year. I wish them to flower
early
too, as I have a shortage of good early flowering plants and a surplus of
good late flowering plants. I appreciate they don't flower for that long,
so
would be grateful of any suggestions of other early flowering biennials.

Wallflowers ;-)

A lot of annuals can be sown in August or September for early flowers -
would that be an alternative?
--
Thanks K. Am currently growing wallflowers for next year. I did try a number
of annuals last August, mentioned in CL's books. But they did not get very
big and all, in a cold frame, were lost over winter. But will try again.

Peter Sutton writes

C Lloyd did grow Lupins, but because you can't do anything with them
afterwards, he grew them as biennials then composted them. He sowed them
in
autumn so they would flower early the next year. I wish them to flower
early
too, as I have a shortage of good early flowering plants and a surplus of
good late flowering plants. I appreciate they don't flower for that long,
so
would be grateful of any suggestions of other early flowering biennials.

Wallflowers ;-)

A lot of annuals can be sown in August or September for early flowers -
would that be an alternative?
--
Thanks K. Am currently growing wallflowers for next year. I did try a number
of annuals last August, mentioned in CL's books. But they did not get very
big and all, in a cold frame, were lost over winter. But will try again.

Calendulas and Eschscholzias are ones I've had success with in the past
as being fairly hardy. I think you need to plant them early enough to
get a reasonable sized plant before winter, which means, if you're in
Yorkshire, planting them a bit earlier than it says on the packet.

Last winter calendulas survived all the way through the winter, and I've
had them in full flower for several weeks. Also self seeded nigella is
just about to come out.

Sweet peas are something that seem to do better if planted in the autumn
- don't know how they are in a cold frame, but mine overwinter well in
the unheated end of the greenhouse, and they're in full bloom now.


--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
Peter Sutton writes

C Lloyd did grow Lupins, but because you can't do anything with them
afterwards, he grew them as biennials then composted them. He sowed
them
in
autumn so they would flower early the next year. I wish them to flower
early
too, as I have a shortage of good early flowering plants and a surplus
of
good late flowering plants. I appreciate they don't flower for that
long,
so
would be grateful of any suggestions of other early flowering
biennials.

Wallflowers ;-)

A lot of annuals can be sown in August or September for early flowers -
would that be an alternative?
--
Thanks K. Am currently growing wallflowers for next year. I did try a
number
of annuals last August, mentioned in CL's books. But they did not get
very
big and all, in a cold frame, were lost over winter. But will try again.

Calendulas and Eschscholzias are ones I've had success with in the past
as being fairly hardy. I think you need to plant them early enough to
get a reasonable sized plant before winter, which means, if you're in
Yorkshire, planting them a bit earlier than it says on the packet.

Last winter calendulas survived all the way through the winter, and I've
had them in full flower for several weeks. Also self seeded nigella is
just about to come out.

Sweet peas are something that seem to do better if planted in the autumn
- don't know how they are in a cold frame, but mine overwinter well in
the unheated end of the greenhouse, and they're in full bloom now.

Thanks K, I think you are right. It is better to late-sow annuals too early
rather than too late. As far as biennials are concerned - better to sow them
too early as well. I understand competative Pelargonium growers pinch out
their young plants to stop them flowering in the first year, so they are
rareing to go in their second and exhibition year. I don't see why the same
principle shouldn't hold for biennials. I was just hopeing someone had some
first hand experience. Thanks everyone for your help.