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