Lupin problem

[streeeemline]

Total novice...please be gentle

I have a lovely Lupin (Masterpiece, if that matters?). It did very well for the first few weeks but now the flowers closest to the bottom of the stem are going brown and crispy and dying off. Is this normal? Some of the leaves are looking a bit brown as well so I've snipped them off. It's in well drained soil, well watered with plenty of sun.

I'm wondering if this is a normal part of the life cycle or if it's a bit poorly. Any advice gratefully appreciated.

It's normal. Keep deadheading as the flowers get brown and snip off brown leaves too. The plant will keep replacing both until the end of summer.

Oh that's really good news, thanks so much! I have been deadheading so will continue. I'm so pleased as they're such beautiful plants.

I love seeing all the lupins in the Chelsea Flower Show coverage. Masterpiece (from what I've seen in photos and garden centre) looks amazing, streem!

Are lupins huge slug magnets? Do they need staking?

It is really lovely, @Nicasia. The colour is stunning. I've attached a pic from its early days and one of it looking very sorry for itself now. I'm hoping for a new lease of life for it soon.

They are total slug magnets. It's like a big flashing slug beacon

(I've also cleared out the bed behind it so it looks even worse in the second photo 🙄)

They’re gorgeous. I’ve never needed to stake lupins or foxgloves. I have them in a bed with delphiniums and they always need staking.

Thank you

I've not staked either. Our front garden has lots of foxgloves and they are all self supporting. And so pretty. The bees love them. It's so sweet watching them crawl in and out of the flowers.

Lupin flowers open in succession from the bottom of the spike to the top. If you compare the two photographs, there are lots of unopened flowers at the top of the spikes in the first photo, whereas in the second all the flowers are open. So it's going over naturally.

They are LOVELY.

Unfortunately, aphids also think that lupins are lovely! I gave up growing them after repeatedly losing them to greenfly and blackfly infestations. Keep a sharp eye out for them, and be ready to spray with water mixed with detergent.