Flowering Spikes: Perennials versus Annuals
by Cornel
(Queens, NY)
Hi. I live in Queens, New York. So that's the Eastern part of the nation. I'm thinking about ordering Lupines Russell Hybrid Mix to use in two containers on the side of my entry door, and as accent plants in a flower bed in the walkway.
My question: I believe that they will bloom in May and June if planted now. But how long will the blooms last? Until fall? I'm looking for something that will last from spring to late fall, if not winter.
I'm obviously looking for dramatic accent plants, and can think of nothing else but regular spike plants. They grow and do the job. But they're annuals and last just until the winter. So I end up having to let them die down before I remove. And I'm tired of removing them. I'm wanting something perinneal. And if it's colorful like the photo I saw of the Lupines russell Hybrid Mix, then that's a plus.
I would appreciate any help or suggestions you can give me.
Thank you.
Doug says - there are no "spike" perennial plants that will flower all summer in a container and be a perennial. Not going to happen. Sorry.
Perennials by their nature flower for a relatively short period of time compared to annuals - so a lupin is going to give you a month of blooms. If you've ordered seed, please understand that a Lupin isn't going to bloom until it's second year anyway (most perennials won't bloom the first year from seed).
This means you have to grow them for a season, overwinter them successfully and then grow them the second year to get a flower (some even take 3 or more years)
So if you're looking for season long flowering, you're really stuck with annuals.
That's not to say you can't design a container using perennials that will look good all summer long but you're going to have to design for foliage as well as flower. It will be a great container but you'll have to do more work with it to maintain it (and then overwinter the plants).
But spike flowers for the middle that bloom all summer won't be perennials. Sorry.