Question
Hi Tom,
Friends in CT zone 5 ask me how to keep lupines alive -- so often they simply do not come back.  The varieties list lupines as "zone 3-7," and, as my friends pointed out, they grow by the roadside in Maine.  Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Barbara

Answer
Hi Barbara,
I have seen the lupines growing along the roadside in Maine and then through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They are absolutely gorgeous.  Lupines do not like hot weather and do well in the Northeast and Canada.  They also grow well in the Pacific Northwestern U.S. and some parts of California.  They are difficult to keep alive during the hot summer months of most of the rest of the country.  I live in the Kansas City area and I can count on one hand all of the lupines I've ever seen cultivated and they do not look very healthy.  Lupines are hardy in my area but don't like heat.  If your friends are in Connecticut, they can grow lupines and the plants should do well there and need no additional care through the winter.  Your friends should be able to buy them at local nurseries (I saw them in the Andover, Massachussetts area.  The plant will survive a Connecticut winter with no special potection.  I hope this helps.  Seeds are easy to grow.  They sprout quickly in warm weather but if you are starting indoors, start in a warm area and then move the seedlings to a cool basement with a 40-watt shoplight suspended immediately above the seedlings until it is safe to plant them outdoors (after last frost) but place the seedlings in the shade for the first 7-10 days before planting out in full sun.

Tom