Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis

[Lori S.]

From seed in 2010, these little beauties are putting up flower stalks this year! 
Two different plants of Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis, the second a little more advanced... also a tighter plant in slightly leaner conditions. 

 

[Peter George]

I've tried them from seed 10 times, and although I've actually gotten a few flowers one year, they have only wintered over once. I've grown them in sand, in gravel and sand, and pretty much every other soil medium possible, yet they've simply never really liked it here in the northeast. The person who originally introduced me to rock gardening, Larry Rue, built a huge sand berm about 15 feet long, 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall, and had them self sowing on the south face. Somehow I don't think my wife would be terribly happy if I replicated it here in my garden area, or as she puts it, in the territory she has permitted me to garden. But it IS a beautiful plant, one I'm sure I'll try again to please enough so it will survive 2 years at least.

[Lori S.]

Well, they've only been through one winter for me so far, which doesn't say much yet! 
Updated photos of Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis:

[Lori S.]

And a few more to give an impression of the plant overall:
     

 

There was an incredible density of flowers on both plants through much of the summer - about 40 flowers per plant!  The bigger plant rotted off towards the end of summer in this wettish season in my too-rich tufa bed, but was replaced by a multitude of seedlings, which I will move to higher, leaner parts of the new tufa beds in spring.

[Peter George]

What is a "too rich tufa bed?"

[Weiser]

Lori
Nice to see one of the other varieties of L. lepidus. I hope you have good luck moving the seedlings.
I grow Lupinus lepidus var. sellulus. It is a locale native and loves a dry sight.

[Lori S.]

What is a "too rich tufa bed?"

I mean that the soil mix packed in between the tufa blocks contains more organic soil than it probably should (a long story)... also that area is not raised much above the level of the surrounding, and underneath it was an old rose bed - pure compost.  All in all, from the combination of factors, I think that area holds too much moisture, hence the one rotted Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis.

John, your var. sellulus is rather showier, since it holds its flowers above the leaves - very nice plant.  The flowers on var. utahensis are tucked into the crown, as the photos show... although I find the furriness of the inflorescence very appealing!

[Weiser]

Lori
Var. Utahensis grows in my neighborhood also, but I've never come across it. Thought I'd post some links to the two varieties.


http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Lupinus+lepidus+var.+utahensis&one=T
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Lupinus+lepidus+var.+sellulus&one=T

[RickR]

Quite a big difference between the varieties.

Both very admirable...

[McDonough]

I see from the CalPhotos site that there is a Lupinus ssp. sellulus var. lobbii (Donner Lake Lupine).
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0708+0202

Lupinus seems to be a genus that has only been horticulturally "scratched at the surface"; so many wonderful garden-worthy species.

[James McGee]

Lori,  I'm surprised you are growing Lupine on tufa.  The lupines I have seen always prefer calcium poor silicaeous based (acid) soils.  This is not to say the entire genus is like Lupinus articus, perennis, and polyphyllus.  However, if species in a genus requires a certain soil condition then usually most (if not all) of the other members also require these same conditions.

James

[Lori S.]

Really?  The species that occur here grow in alkaline soil... that is not to say they require it, though.  Lupinus polyphyllus grows easily here in alkaline soil too.  There seems to be a few genera/species that actually require specific ranges of pH, but it seems an awful lot of plants are pretty oblivious to pH, in spite of the conditions in their native habitats or what is claimed in the gardening books.

[James McGee]

Lori,  I rarely see Lupinus polyphyllus hybrids in garden where I liver or where I used to live in the Mohawk River Valley of NY.  However, when I travelled to the White Mountains of New Hampshire this species was growing wild all over the roadsides.  I always attributed their successful colonization to the granite parent material.

James

[Hoy]

Talking about Lupinus polyphyllus: It is blacklisted here in Norway and forbidden to plant but it is too late of course!
The first picture is from Iceland - intended  as a warning

http://www.naturoppsyn.no/content/500040669/Lupiner-dekker-landet

the second is from Norway - a common sight along the roads here!

http://www.ranablad.no/nyheter/article5130464.ece

However, I don't think anyone will be mad at me if I grow L. lepidus

[Weiser]

Trond
WOW!!!
The old adage holds true "One Man's Weed Is Another Man's FLower"