August and September are the months For sowing the seeds of various forms of Lupinus arboreus, the yellow-flowered tree or bush lupine which grows wild from central California up into Vancouver Island. There are color forms besides thy yellow; among the loveliest is the blue form. I have seen many good shades of pink, but the seed I gathered from them never came true to shade, yielding flowers of lavender and mauve. I found the seed of the white form just as unreliable.
The seeds of all large lupines have hard shells. It is wise to scratch this hard covering by shaking the seed in a mason jar with sharp gravel. Some people roll the seed between sheets of coarse sandpaper; others break the surface with a file, a laborious job. Some gardeners sow the seed in flats and transplant carefully (lupines resent moving), but I have always had better results front sowing where the plants are to bloom.
by R Lester – 62840
