It's June in Maine--Lupine

Through the years I have had a rather uneven history with the lupine plants in my garden.  Some years they bloom and other years they forget to show up at all.  This year--surprise--I have a plant that is about four feet tall and wide and covered in tall blue flowers.  Gorgeous.  Awesome. And so unexpected. I am left wondering if the plants I planted are gone and these plants were seeded by birds.  Birds poop out seeds all the time.

A few days or weeks ago--nothing.  And that plant isn't the only one.  There are two or three more, in the wings, waiting to put on their show.  It would be nice if they are all a gorgeous blue.

I often tell customers to plant lupine where you don't want it.  Then it will grow and flower.  Plant it where you want it--and nothing happens.  I am hoping the aphids that love to chew the plant up--well, I'm hoping they are busy eating somewhere else this week.

I had a friend (so many years ago) who regularly stopped along roadsides and cut lupine to fill vases at the Ronald McDonald House in Portland.  Visitors to Maine love being surprised by roadside flowers---lots and lots of them along highways. People who live here like seeing them, too.

Well, I'm happy right now.

(There are little Spring bulbs called Muscari that you can plant that have the same triangular shaped blue flower, look for them in October with the daffodil bulbs on sale at greenhouses)