Lupines

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Growing Conditions

According to ehow.com, caring for lupines in your garden is not all that hard to do. All you have to do is follow these rules and your lupines will be blooming with color and excitement in no time!

1

Maintain moist soil after planting and throughout the growing season. Use a soaker hose, which will deliver deep watering down to the roots of the lupine flowers. Lupines require at least 1 inch of water per week through both supplemental watering and rain.

2

Feed the lupine flowers a diet of fertilizer that is rich in phosphorous and low in nitrogen. Follow the label instructions for application recommendations. Most lupines thrive when given a dose of fertilizer once a month during the growing cycle

3

• Deadhead the flowers regularly. Snip them just below the flower; they will re-bloom. If you are growing perennials, cut the flower stalks down to the base after flowering is over.

4

Remove pests from the lupine flowers using an insecticidal soap. Although lupines have few pest problems, they are prone to aphid infestations now and then. Apply the insecticidal soap according to manufacturer's instructions.

5

Spread mulch around the lupine flowers to control weeds. Weeds will compete with the lupines for water, so a three- to four-inch layer of straw or bark chips can help control the problem. Mulching will also protect the roots of the lupine flowers and improve drainage