I think the main difficulty with lupins (as with delphiniums and hostas) is slugs. If you can get rid of the slugs, the lupins will stay for years. We use mineralised wheat straw mulch, sold in England under the name 'Strulch'. Some ATP people have said they can't find it in the US, but from what I've read it was developed in the USA and brought over to us by an American. But even if it's not available there, I'm sure there are alternative ways of dealing with slugs... I'd be happy to send you some lupin seeds if you like, in late summer?

Wow Mika I have never tried from seeds. Do you need a special set up? Not sure if I could handle that. You need a permit to import seeds here. So I don't get the ones from the British Iris Society. I have not be able to make a cross for them the last couple years. I should try it again. Perhaps I will try plants here again. There are problems with slugs with hosta. Grit around the plants could help there.

My problem with lupines and Delphs is my zone is too hot. This year, however, I'm growing larkspur from seeds that I sprinkled in outdoor pots during cold snap. Larkspur is a wild version of delphinium which is supposed to be able to take hot temps. Gradually transplanting them into garden and they are not dying so maybe this will work. I transplant in chunks so the seedlings don't feel like they've moved. Let's see if they can grow before really hot weather begins.

Mica, I would love Delphs except we have clay soil and live on a windy hill. I even tried the dwarf type and they just never got established.

Both Lupins and delphiniums are easy from seed, provided they are protected from slugs (which seem to regard them as a delicacy!) We grow both in England on clay soil, but your windy hill, Jo Ann, may be a problem for delphiniums as you say.
On seed sending from England, apparently it's possible to get a licence to import small lots without the need for any expensive phytosanitary certificate.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aph...

Alternatively I can just send them - I've sent small quantities of seed in the past and three out of four said they arrived (took 3-4 weeks, though!)
So if anyone would like some lupin seeds, let me know. We get our lupins from West Country Lupins in England - they have some lovely colours, but of course with seed you never know if the plant will look exactly like the parent!
If you want a look at their lupins, see
https://www.westcountrylupins....

Lucy, Lupines are easy from seed! The seeds are big and can be direct sown while it is still cold outside- that seems to aid in germination.

Lupines and Delphiniums- ahhhh....I dream of growing them, truly perfect cottage garden plants. Sadly, neither tolerates the heat and humidity of the southern US. Larkspur has been my go to plant for a delphinium like look, baptisias and thermopsis are my substitutes for lupines- I sure wish there were more colors available.

Of course I think lupins need sun. Our sunny beds have an iris planed in it. My 'cottage' bed gets some shade. At the moment I have daylilies, an astilbe, hosta sanguinea (medium leaf which I prefer) start with a daffodil clump, an orange poppy-which I will change for red next year & I hope to get galardia. It is small bed in area. We have quite a few trees near the house which cast shade.

Lucy, good luck getting the orange poppy removed completely- Whenever I try to move a poppy, some little piece of root remains and it pops back up. A pink one (that was supposed to be red) keeps showing back up in my bed of fire colors- I sure don't want pink with the orange, gold, and red! The good thing is now I have lovely pink poppies dotting another bed where I move the straggler every year.

Neal, Are these Orientals ?

Neal I like your thinking on moving the poppies and it is nice you get a new one each year.
I really like poppies but haven't tried them in a long time.

I know that they have deep roots.

JoAnn, that's right, Oriental poppies.

Lucy, that's for sure- like so deep I never can get the whole thing! Oh well, it's the gift that keeps on giving LOL.

I've read that Oriental poppies can be propagated by taking the root and cutting it into 1" pieces and laying them in a flat shallowly covered in potting media. I used to be leery of doing it, thinking I'd probably kill the whole thing, but now I'd try it. If I find a plum variety this year I might try it!

Near, root layering scares me too as transplanting must be tricky.
I am also looking for a plum OP. I bought "Little Patty's Plum" last spring but it died due to neglect when I had knee surgery. That operation cost me a lot in more ways than one.

The plum ones must be weak growers, otherwise they'd be more prevalent among vendors. I'll have my eyes open for them, and will be sure to let you know if I find anything.

I will see what our local garden center has as well as Sheepers. I am always just short of their $35. minimum but as he n44de som4 mor4 daffodils, I might try them. I certainly want some emperor style tulips on pink. I can only put tulips very near the house because of the deer.

I wish I had trouble meeting a $35 minimum....

We could meet it if we could grow more tulips. I don't want them with green stems & nothing on top. Dratted deer.

Oh yeah, deer and every other critter seem to really like tulips! Members of the lily family must be delicious....

What gets me is that there are plenty of plants in the woods to eat.

I've got some delphinium seedlings started this year... will see how they do! Lupines melt in the summer heat/humidity here.

I started some english lavender from seed, too... something I haven't tried before. The seedlings have a couple of true leaves, but the leaves are little ovals, not narrow as I'd think, and there's no scent of lavender yet. Either they just start out that way, or the seeds (trade packet but from a commercial source) are for something else!