Amend the planting hole with organic matter, if necessary, to improve drainage. Using in the garden: Wild Lupine is the only host plant for the Karner Blue butterfly caterpillar. Work a 2-inch layer of compost into the bed prior to transplanting to improve soil drainage and nutrition. Planting & Growing. Wild Lupine will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 16 inches. Sensitivity to the root system is especially needed when transplanting from nursery containers into the field. Here in western WA there are several native types of lupines. Lupines do not like to be transplanted, so if you have to start them in pots, be sure to move them to the garden when they are 3 to 6 inches high. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. I split 2 large ones. There seemed to be loads of thick rubbery roots and each half had a … Colorful, spiky lupines grow wild from the coast of Maine (thank you, Miss Rumphius) to Texas (where they were legally renamed “bluebonnets” by an official act of the state legislature in 1901). Lupine (lupinus) is a perennial flowering plant and a member of the pea family. Lupines (Lupinus spp.) It wasn't easy but eventually I ripped them apart. Habitat loss or modification, the main threat to most rare species, has been particularly hard on the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). Transplant the lupine to a full-sun, well-draining garden bed once the seedlings are 3 inches tall and have produced their second set of leaves. by Kim Mitchell and Cathy Carnes. Wild Lupine and Karner Blue Butterflies. Large stands of it, in mixed colors, line the roadsides. When I split mine Caral, I just hacked them in half with a spade. Lupine thrive in cool, moist environments with full sun. are flowering members of the pea family. Be sure to plant them where you want them, the adult plants, due to their deep tap root, transplant miserably. Sow lupine seeds in potting soil mixture of coarse and fine particles. Lupine: A Field Guide. also they do need bacteria and u may not have it in your soil and it might take them a while to find it. At the moment I have the following growing on my wild homestead: Sickle-keeled; Riverbank ; Bigleaf; There are several other lupines native to my area that I have yet to plant, including a small miniature lupine that is an annual and only grows to about 6 inches in height. Soil requirements. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart, and loosen the soil deeply to accommodate the long taproots. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont even celebrate lupine festivals in recognition of this plant's beauty. Lupine seedlings have very sensitive roots and suffer from root damage when handled excessively. You can't miss it in spring when it blooms. At Wild River State Park efforts have been made to increase the Lupine population, as Karner Blues have been seen just across the St. Croix River in Wisconsin. Its numbers have fallen by 99 percent, with most of the losses occurring in the past 15 years. Planting from containers: Potted lupine plants are typically perennial cultivars that you can put in the ground immediately in the spring. Also native to Mediterranean regions and Africa, lupines are as … lupine grow from seed so easily that i dont transplant them. Habitat loss has led to the decline in plants, and put the Karner Blue on the endangered species list. These fast-growing summer bloomers come in a variety of colors and shapes, although most of the more familiar lupine bloom on tall spikes. also they are very iffy to begin with when transplanting, being soft stemmed. 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