Will they grow for me???

Danaus29 · #1 09-28-2008, 06:40 PM

Rhetorical question as I already know the answer to a couple but as a gardener at heart I snatched and bought seeds while in the frozen north. Lupine (again, snatched not purchased this time), fireweed (which I saw one plant in bloom, pictures to be posted as I get time, also pilfered), salmonberry (pilfered, just identified the berries), and blueberry (purchased). My lupine and fireweed didn't do so well over the summer but I am trying again. Salmonberries look very similar to raspberries (the fruit and plant anyway, flower is bright purple according to my research) but I have no idea how they taste. We couldn't identify the plant in the field so we didn't try them. HUGE berries!!!! No thorns! I hope they do well.

ETA: tales of our adventure will be coming later, as I have time. And yes, we did have some adventures!

Bird Lover · #2 09-29-2008, 10:30 AM

I wish you luck Rhonda! I've tried many times to grow lupines without success, but I won't give up.

Danaus29 · #3 09-29-2008, 05:11 PM

They started out very well. But as the summer heat and dryness kicked in they just disappeared. The fireweed was lovely, until it got hot and dry here. I'm hoping they will do ok in the cool and partial shade of the woods at the guest house. I have no idea where I will put any blue berry or salmonberry plants. LOL

matkin · #4 09-29-2008, 10:08 PM

A few years ago we went to Nova Scotia. The Lupines grow like weeds up there. I also collected lots of seeds. I tried to grow them here for three years before I gave up. I tried direct seeding after the ground thawed. I tried starting seedlings. I even mixed a little gravel in the soil. I tried north facing, I tried east facing, I tried mulching, & I tried light color mulching. I tried newspaper under the mulch to keep the ground cool. I was determined to have those beautiful, tall Lupines. In the end, every year the results were the same. When the rain stopped and the heat hit, they died shortly there after. Around here the rain usually ends the first part of June, and it gets hot in the middle of June. So if any one comes up with a way to grow them let us know.