I dug up a bunch of mature lupines long ago and they thrived for many years until they fell victim to excavation for a new foundation on our house.

Now I can't grow lupine to save my life. I think voles or excessive rain are killing them. I'm giving up on lupine and replacing my plants with iris which do grow well here still. But that's another story.

I think I'd try transplanting your lupine if they seem to do well in your garden. Mine adapted well to their move.

Lupine here is an invasive weed, just try to kill it. My wife doug som in a friends field and brought them home. I said put them on the island in the farm pond (clay pushed up when digging the pond). The next thing I said was if I see any in the blueberry field yours will be watered with roundup. 15 years later they have taken the Island over but she watches the blueberrys closer than I do.

I could swear that lupines are, technically, biennials, even though it sounds like others here treat them as perennials.

So, if you transplant a mature one, and don't dead-head it, it should self-sow and reappear next year in the new location.

That's why my lupines probably didn't come back this year. I dead headed in my front garden to keep it "looking pretty" last year. I'll know better this year!

Wow, Diggingthedirt, I didn't know that. I guess I might as well just collect seeds from these. Regarding this level of detail the net is lacking, esecially considering how many different lupine species there are, but I did find one site with great detail that said many will die, but some might live past the first year of blooming. In that case, I won't move them until AFTER I've collected seed. Then I'll move the plants to the new spot AND spread the seeds in that spot. Hopefully I'll have all my bases covered!

Lupines aren't a biennial, just frequently a short-lived perennial: 3-5 years. That doesn't mean that they can't live longer or shorter than that. They grow easily from seed, so seedlings may make it hard to notice that the original plant has died off. You may as well try moving them if they are languishing in the wrong spot, just try and dig down as deep as possible since you know they have a taproot. And then maybe start some from seed as a backup.

That is interesting. My former patch of thriving lupine must have been re-seeding themselves.

My first guess is that my recently planted lupine are being eaten by voles, and my second guess is they could be dying from fungus due to all this rain, but voles seem the most likely culprit.

Hope you have better luck, Deanna. It sounds like yours are off to a good start though.

Thanks for the input! They do look good this year, and I am pleased. I hope they live long with not necessarily neglect, but ineptness. If they prefer the inept gardener then they'll have many happy years with me. I'll move them after they've set seed, just to be sure I get seed.

I do have one question about them dying and reseeding. I thought Russell and other lupines were a hybrid so the offspring would not be true to seed. If that's the case, why don't people notice that their lupines are "changing color," really meaning they are dying and offspring are sprouting up? You should see your garden lupines change color every few years, shouldn't you?

I stand corrected! You're right, cloud9 - they act a lot like biennials, including being easy from seed, but they're short lived perennials.

What I don't understand about the hybrids is how they can sell seeds ... do you just get a 'surprise' if you start with seed?

I've always been amazed by the show of lupines along the sides of the highways up in Maine. Plus the fields of lupines you see in Veremont. There's even some fields of lupines growing along the Mass Pike. You would think they would be easy to grow - since obviously they are not getting a lot of TLC on the side of a highway. You would think that lupines would be one of the easiest plants to grow.

But then - I have had horrible luck getting lupines to grow. I had originally thought it would be fabulous to have a field of lupines out behind my pond - but every time I have attemepted to plant a lupine there, it has died. I even bought a huge ziploc bag of seeds from some lady in Maine and scattered all the seeds back there. None of them took.

This year I have found 2 volunteer seedlings in one of my side gardens. I have them staked so they don't accidentally get trampled or weeded. I am hoping and praying that I get lupine flowers next year. And can I hope even more that they self sow next year, and the following year I'll have lots of little seedlings.

I have started lupines from seed & planted them in soil that is full of gravel & rocks. They thrive on this type of soil. I am going to attempt to transplant some from the side of the road where they are growing & fingers crossed......they may grow!! Our local Greenhouse sells beautiful lupine plants are they grow very well! One of our favorite plants....just love them! I learned on here not to dead head them! I will remember that! :)