2024 June 8 Winter Sowing Update

Of all the different species I winter-sowed in January, I thought only the Highbush Cranberry Viburnum trilobum and Purple Passion Flower Vine Passiflora incarnata didn’t come up. Then, while looking at my Blue Lupines Lupinus perennis, I spotted something little that popped up. 

This is a tiny Purple Passion Flower vine. I have big dreams for this one. A trellis up the side of my house to the front? Perhaps!

After reading a post in a native plant group on Facebook I freaked out that maybe my Lupines weren’t native. The whole point of growing them was to encourage the endangered Karmer Blue butterfly. I checked in with pictures of mine and the seed packet that said “Lupinus perennis” on the front, only to get a mixture of comments. Some people were sure mine are native because they have less than 10 leaves each, some thought they were hybrids because the leaves are “pointier” than their natives. I bought the seeds from a Michigan company, when this species is native. I’ll check their height when they bloom, if they stay short, I will keep them. I’m hoping the leaves are only this pointy because they are young plants. 

The photo of Wild Lupine from my Facebook post. 

Here are the other things I planted and how they are doing. I’m not sure if they are ready to be planted in the ground yet, or if I should pot them up for next year. I’m running out of yard

Zig Zag Goldenrod in a plastic milk jug above. 

Some random Mallow flowers from a friend - I honestly don’t know exactly what they are. There is also some Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata in this plastic storage tub.

From left: Round-headed Bush Clover Lespedezca capitata, Rattlesnake Master Eryngium eryngo, and Late Boneset Eupatorium serotinum (top right). I thought the Rattlesnake Master was just grass at first and so did the Picture This app. Glad I didn’t pull it. 

From left: Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis, Dense Blazing Star/Gayfeather Liatris spicata, and Butterfly (Milk)Weed Asclepias tuberosa. There is also a Marsh Seedbox in here that I didn’t plant but appears native. I’ll have to do some research. Planted in plastic storage tub. 

Above is an Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana in a two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle. 

This is a Golden Alexander Zizia aurea planted in a plastic milk jug. This is a perennial larval host to the Eastern Black Swallowtail.

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