Friday, May 28, 2010

Fertilizer Friday: Lupins Gone Wild

Oh I've been a very lazy girl this week, it's only my second post....Bad Miss V!

I'm hooking up with Tootsie Time for some garden fun and Fertilizer Friday ! Last Friday just as I was packing my bag for my weekend at the shore...I was complaining that I didn't have any lupins in bloom yet; well mother nature sure did surprise me!

With all the heat we've been having, by tuesday morning all the lupins were in bloom and all over the place! I got back real late on monday and was unaware of all this gorgeous display!

 My love of lupins began innocently enough...In 1988 I vacationned in St-Thomas New Brunswick near Bouctouche and lupins were growing wild all over. When I bought my house in 1995, I was a beginner gardener and all I had was grass, lots of unmowed grass. I got the shovel out and dug borders. I was on a tight budget and bought only 6 perrenials including a yellow lupin.



Every few years I would buy a new color. I wanted to have the whole rainbow. However I find lupins are fickle and even if they are real hardy in the Maritimes and New England, they often die over the winter (I live in zone 5). So I never really got my rainbow....



But I got white! I never bought white....so funny the way nature works!




And I got blue and pink and funky mélanges of blue and red. By the way the yellow one is still with me but did not bloom this year. Oh well! I'm not complaining; I will just enjoy this beautiful gift of blooms while it lasts because one never knows...Will they grow back next year? Only Mother Nature knows!

I just got my 57th follower! Welcome Heidi, I hope you enjoy your visits!

9 comments:

France Guérin said...

I just love lupins too! They remind me of PEI.

Larry said...

Your lupines are looking good! I have scads of seedlings that will probably bloom later in the summer. Larry

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Lupins are also everywhere in Nova Scotia. Driving along the highway in July is a real treat as there are huge fields of them or they're in the ditches. But no self-respecting gardener in NS would put them in their garden because they're atrocious bullies and will choke out other things.

They are mighty pretty though! (And always remind me of Monty Python.)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Those are just beautiful. Lupins I don't think I have heard of them but will look them up. Might not grow here in the South! I will enjoy yours!!!

Darla said...

I am so getting some of these. I have been admiring them on blogs for way too long now. You are dang near having your rainbow!

Avalon's Garden and Mewsings of Garden Cottage Cats said...

WOW! Just look at all those colorful Lupines !! How Pretty1:) I tried them once but they don't seem to be too happy in my garden.
Like you said; they don't seem to winter well. Well I guess you can't have everything ....haha
Enjoy your weekend !

Olga Poltava said...

Beautiful variety of lupines. I especially like the first multicolor picture.

Oh, and now you've got the 58th happy follower :-)

Paula said...

WOW! Love all those colors of lupine - I have only seen purple and pink so these pix were a treat! Thanks for shairng, Paula in Idaho

Erin said...

Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!