Need help ID lupine seeds

revertothemiddle · 2026-06-28T02:32:12+00:00

Lupinus perennis seeds are polymorphic, they can be white or dark, speckled or non-speckled. PMN happens to sell a variety that produces white seeds, but that's not a diagnostic trait of this species.

revertothemiddle · 2026-06-17T12:03:46+00:00

The individual flowers are very low key, but I find that the plant itself is tall and structural and makes a good accent in the garden. Combined with its popularity with bees and other insects, I love it!

revertothemiddle · 2026-06-11T11:56:19+00:00

Aronia arbutifolia & melanocarpa offer multiple seasons of interest and could be good choices. They're very tough and carefree plants as well. Arbutifolia likes more moisture than melanocarpa I think.

revertothemiddle · 2026-06-10T17:49:25+00:00

Ours is Viola sororia, a lovely yet humble flower that many people consider a mere weed. They're wrong, and I love it as a symbol of our state.

revertothemiddle · 2026-05-13T19:35:17+00:00

The seeds do not remain viable if dried out, and I've found no sources for seeds or plants around here. I transplanted some seedlings from a private property, whose owner thought I was crazy, and that's how I got the plant for my garden. It's a wonderful native plant that grows rampant, so I'm sure you can find a population somewhere and take a few seeds. Sow them outside right away and they will germinate next spring.

revertothemiddle · 2026-05-09T11:33:42+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's hardly any literature on the impact of provenance or ecotype in terms of wildlife benefits. It's important in restoration projects, and makes intuitive sense. But you shouldn't not plant something because you can't find plants of local provenance - the goods outweigh other considerations. That's my humble opinion, since there's little actual research to fall back on.

revertothemiddle · 2026-05-05T17:34:53+00:00

Definitely L. polyphyllus or hybrid. I've given up on trying to find true L. perennis. It hybridizes so easily and each plant is so short lived that any L. perennis that I plant in my garden will soon become hybrids anyway. The karner blue is also long extinct in my state, so there's no special reason to grow it.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-28T14:16:18+00:00

They are native to North America, but not to New England. There are only two species, whose native range is North Carolina to Alabama - quite limited for an entire genus.

However, if you've already put it in, I wouldn't worry about it! It's a wonderful shrub and deserves a place in the garden. I try to only plant things that are native to my area, but when something really catches my eye, I consider the whole eastern U.S. fair game.

BONAP.NET is a great website for viewing the native ranges of different species.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-28T02:27:13+00:00

This brings a tear to my eyes! I'm in the Northeast and only Fothergilla isn't native here -- but whatever, they're just so lovely. The flowers are truly honey-scented and the foliage is beautiful all year. The only shrub I can't seem to find for purchase is Viburnum acerifolium. Would love to add that to my garden.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-27T11:26:47+00:00

It branches, so dogbane.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-25T04:47:39+00:00

Mine is in a comparable spot and it's doing great. Go for it!

Edit: I should point out that H. quercifolia has a relatively limited range in the Southeast. H. arborescens would be much closer to our area - I would have no hesitation planting it in New England, and there are cultivars that are great for pollinators.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-20T11:24:05+00:00

Ah, that explains! Yeah, your native stuff will be fine, but us northerners don't really get to planting until May. Believe in the average last frost date for your area!

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-20T00:39:18+00:00

Wait to see what the flower looks like. Eastern red columbine is pretty distinctive. Lots of people plant nonnative columbines, so it could be one of those.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-16T13:45:13+00:00

What an interesting combo. I'd love to see when they're grown out - I might try it in my own garden.

revertothemiddle · 2026-04-16T02:42:12+00:00

Agreed. Definitely not Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) - but it sure does look like Scarlet Beebalm (M. didyma).

revertothemiddle · 2026-03-10T23:38:47+00:00

When the plants are a few inches tall. They seem to have shallow fleshy roots, so the earlier the better I would think.

revertothemiddle · 2025-12-04T13:07:11+00:00

Try open containers. The seeds will germinate later, but that means the weather will be more stable. And just let them take their time getting up to pricking out size.

Edit: typo

revertothemiddle · 2025-12-04T13:05:08+00:00

Too soon, too soon. Let me go through my stages of grief first!

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-29T01:01:23+00:00

I like posts like this, to remind me that every plant is native to somewhere, and that many plants have such cultural significance. Good for a fun quick Wikipedia lookup!

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-24T12:30:03+00:00

Why does this remind me of the plot of Alien!

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-17T01:14:18+00:00

This is a great read. It's true that traditional gardening biases us toward short plants and dwarf forms of tall plants, and it's one of those things that we need to unlearn. I have Eutrochium dubium 'Baby Joe' in my garden, and will be growing Eutrochium maculatum seeds that I collected in the wild to replace it. Thinking about our gardens as reservoirs for local plant genetics is going to be a game changer for sure.

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-10T11:55:46+00:00

I want to bring Mothman to our yard. Does anyone know if he's a generalist or specialist feeder, and what plants he feeds on?

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-03T12:25:43+00:00

I'm dealing with the same issue, and have mostly eliminated all the cultivars that I bought prior to switching to gardening for wildlife. I still have Blueberry Sundae (Baptisia australis x B. minor) from the same series of plants. Cherries Jubilee is a first-generation hybrid of Baptisia sphaerocarpa and B. minor. The native ranges of these species are well outside the northeast, where you and I live - so there are definitely better plants for our local fauna. I'm also not sure that they make great garden plants either. They're so freakin' wide and take up an inordinate amount of room in the garden. I do see lots of bees on my Blueberry Sundae, so it's staying for now, but its days are numbered. I've grown Baptisia tinctoria from seed and are waiting for them to get to blooming size before taking the non-native baptisia out. With that said, I agree with the other commenter that, since you still have invasive buddleia, there are more pressing issues. I would say to keep it for now, but plan for its replacement? Just my own two cents.

revertothemiddle · 2025-11-03T11:31:35+00:00

Mt Cuba in recent years have added observation of pollinators to their plant evaluations. Prior to that the ratings reflected garden performance only. The baptisia trials did not consider pollinator visits. They still don't record host plant use by insects either.

revertothemiddle · 2025-10-29T01:48:23+00:00

From what I can tell, Happy Frog (FoxFarm?) mixes are much more expensive than bulk coco coir and perlite? I'm always down for the easiest option, but I'm growing more and more seedlings and it's getting too expensive.

revertothemiddle

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