i seem to be saying this a lot lately, but we discussed this last spring. please search for that thread- there was much discussion. like the delphiniums, the general consensus was though they are gorgeous, lots have tried but ended up with lackluster results if they got anything. i know i try them about every other year (that's the definition of stupidity, no?). why? because i love the way they look, and hope springs stupid, er, i mean, eternal. you can find them in cell packs occasionally, but since they don't like transplanted, look for the little ones if you still want to try.

a really nice substitute here is baptisia. it'll take a couple years to get it's feet under it, but once it's established, watch out; it's a show stopper. the common australis is deep purple blue, and there's yellow and white forms, but now there are some nice smokey and purple hybrids. they all make nice decorative seed pods as a bonus. unless you find a friend with seedlings they can be a bit pricey for nice sized plants because they are slow. oh, and plant them where they'll stay- they make a tap root to china.

This must be different from the usual garden hybrid. Look at the range map!(saw the same range on more than one sight) If so, I'm wondering why we don't see more of them here? I hope you can get them going from seed. I'd love to find out there's a lupine I can grow here! While I love Baptisia, I'd still be excited to add lupines. These don't look as tall and stately as the Russells , but they are really cool looking. Good luck and keep us posted!

Here is a link that might be useful: wild lupine (lupinus perennis)

I missed the other thread so this may be repetitive, but there are a wild lupines here in NC (Lupinus villosus and diffusus) that grow closer to the coast. I think they're sandhill plants that probably wouldn't care for clay, and I've not been terribly successful with sandhill natives so I've never tried them. I have grown Thermopsis villosa, also a NC native, which is sometimes referred to as 'false lupine'. Do you already have seed from our native lupines? I've never seen it offered for sale before, but if you need seed starting advice for them, you might try contacting the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

So sorry...I'm new to this forum and unfamiliar with what was discussed last spring. I ran a search on the site before I posted without any meaningful result.

Thanks for the advice. I think I knew the answer in advance, but it won't be the first or the last time I've tried something stupid/hopeful.

no apologies needed- just seems like lots of times folks don't think to check and it seems like we discuss the same plants each year the same time. sorry if i sounded harsh- didn't maean it like that. thanks for checking first. i'll see if i can dig up that thread for you.

like i said, hope springs eternal. when you are saying native lupines- do you mean native here or to the us? i was reading it as the US, meaning the TX kinds- but if there are some native to NC, maybe there is hope... please, do tell. the link ais posted sure is pretty! it didn't say what kind of soil or where in NC they like, though.

found that thread. it wasn't under wild lupines, just lupines. maybe there'll be something helpful... good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: lupines

Years ago a hybrid was developed for the cut flower trade. It was lovely and came in all shades of blue, purple and pink. Looked kinda like a Russels Hybrid except I remember them always being sorta stretched out. They performed great for some friends of mine and now you can't find them anywhere. I keep looking and hoping though.

i checked that link ais posted more and it says the l. perennis are indigenous to this county (wake). so, they should grow here. still no info on soil preferences, though i'd guess lean and sandy more than clay based. then i could only find one source of semi- affordable seed. everyone else sold it by the 1/4 pound and it's expensive- guess it's used as a wildflower more than anything. i would love to try it out if anyone found a good source.

i have about 1/2 of a packet left of 'wild' lupines i got from pinetree that are the originals that the russels were bred from (they're not l. perennis). that's what i figured you were talking about earlier, and since the russels only do so-so, i figured they'd be about the same. they did squat last year. i'll soak them and scatter them out this year again to see if they do anything. with the lack of rain i'm not very optimistic, though. i may try a few as container winter sown, but since they dislike being transplanted, i'm a little leery.

Thanks for all the good advice and links. I really do appreciate all of you sharing your experiences.

Got the seed from a private source so I will assume it is native to NC. Was displaced by a hurricane and bought an affordable old junkyard lot. I have a pretty wild woodland type yard (surrounded by hardwood forest with native honeysuckle, bamboo,coralberry, etc.)so I grow mostly natives and wild type plants. I'm going to try the lupines near the woods where an old home once stood (a lot of good sandy soil in that spot). I was told to just scratch the surface and scatter and then "foot" the seed down.
Don't know if it will work, but I did the same with foxglove and got a good stand of that.

Again, thanks to all.

Those wild lupine are beautiful! Looks like they're natives of the coastal plain and Sandhills.

oooh- carolinabluesky- if you get a stand of those going you have to a) promise to take pix and post them, and b) save seed and sell or trade it to all of us! LOL! you may have a potential gold mine, there.
best of luck with your venture- maybe you'll even be lucky enough to get the rare butterfly staking a claim if you get a good patch. sounds like your place is very pretty.

If I can get a hold of any seeds I will try them too. When our house was moved we had to bring in truckload after truckload of dirt -- mostly sandy soil -- with a pH of four.

Prairie Moon sells seed for Lupinus perennis for $2 a pack. They need sand.

thanks alicia! i have one corner on my prop that is a bit sandy- not fully sand, but sandy and very well drained. have to check that cat out. not that i need anymore places to order from.