Lupin Legendary 'Shades of Red'

Lupins can have issues with anthracnose, slugs and snails, as well as aphids. Anthracnose is a fungal disease that presents itself as a brown die-back of leaves and stems as well as possible orange slime-like spores in built up areas. To For Slugs and Snails, it is important to keep the area around the plant debris free and as dry as possible, especially at night as slugs and snails love damp conditions. You can use barriers such as egg shells or copper wire to surround the plant to prevent slugs and snails reaching the leaves. It is also a good idea to spray your plant with water which has boiled some garlic in it for around 2 hours. For more serious slug and snail control you can also use specific nematodes that will find the pests and cause them to die. To combat aphids you can pick away the bugs with your hands and also wash the infested areas down with soapy water.MORE

Water in when planting. Lupins have long roots and should cope fine once established in all but only long periods of extended drought. If the plant looks distressed whilst the ground is dry, water lightly and check up on it the next day.

Plant somewhere the plant will receive at least 4-6 hours of sunlight every day.

Lupins can cope in soils which are fairly nutrient poor. However, the soil must drain well as Lupins can do not like waterlogged conditions which can cause rot. If your soil is particularly clay-heavy then make sure you mix in plenty of organic matter such as compost as well as a couple of handfuls of grit to further improve drainage.

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