Collecting Seeds from a Maine Garden

Last summer I cut a few seedheads off the lupin plants in front of the island cottage in Maine. I collected the seeds and took them home with me.

Lupin seeds have a hard shell so it’s important to soak them overnight in water before planting them, or nick the surface of the seed with a pocket knife. Either method will allow the plant inside to break through the outer shell and will facilitate germination.

I propagated the seeds in our greenhouse early in the spring and planted four healthy seedlings outdoors in June.

I could have planted them outdoors earlier because lupin likes the cool weather. Either way, I did not expect them to bloom this year and they didn’t. I have marked them in the garden with a little plant label so I don’t accidentally pluck them out next spring thinking they are weeds. If they survive they should bloom next June.

With open pollinated seeds like these there is no guarantee the offspring will look exactly like the parent plant. The genetic makeup of the seed is a cross between the parent plant and possibly another plant whose pollen was used to fertilize it. We will have to wait and see. That’s part of the fun.

Find more information about propagating lupin here.

________________________________________________________________
Dorian Winslow is the president of Womanswork, and is passionate about making the best products on the market for women who garden and work outdoors.

Horticulture publishes the free weekly e-newsletter, "Smart Gardening Tips," and "The Curious Gardener," a free monthly e-newsletter with more tips and articles by Dorian. Subscribe to our e-newsletters.