It really is beautiful. I am glad they outlived the weeds. It is amazing all the colors they come in, isn't it? Just lovely.

I'm going to be gathering seeds tomorrow, if anyone wants some. They take at least two years to bloom, but I've found it well worth the wait. By the way, the seeds will be 'mixed'.

Oh Kathleen, did you hear me groan loudly way down here? Those Lupins are just fabulous. I wonder if they will grow in a refrigerator.

lol, hmm probably not. If I took a picture now, all you'd see would be the goldenrod growing up through the ugly seed heads. As soon as the seeds pop, we'll be mowing them down.

I just started some LUpine Seeds I bought from American Meadows. Yes, I know I should have done this early spring but I just didn't get to it intil lately. This was right in the middle of our heat spell too. I made planting containers out of the flats you buy annuals in by filling with potting medium and sprinkling my seed on top. I put them in the sun. You just have to watch that they don't dry up. So far they are just coming up but coming up like gangbusters. Even in the sweltering heat. These are the annual Lupines they sell, different but similiar to the perennial ones. I wonder if these might be the answer for those in hot climates that can't grow the usual ones?

I will keep everyone posted on how they do for me. This is a good test as I started them in the hot weather and they did not get a chance to get established in the cool spring and will have to deal with the heat and humidity. We will see.

Interesting experiment. I guess I'd never heard of annual lupines.

I am trying the annual Lupines again this spring but so far they haven't started growing.

Up update on those Lupines from White Flower Farm. The two I planted in the upstairs garden died last fall so were long gone before the winter. Bummer. I am not going to try them again in that particular spot. That was two plants and only lasted until August or so and then just shriveled up.

Then an update on the ones out by the Lupine garden around the little tree. So three of the plants in that grouping have come up. I have been watching closely and I am sure this is it, there is no sign of even dried out roots on most of the rest of them.

I am going to try again. I am going to go back to the nursery I bought these at and buy replacement plants for this section of garden. In the back of my mind I was thinking of adding to the Lupines this year but instead I have to go out to buy new ones to replace most of those that were already there. So I doubt I will enlarge it.

How about trying another source for lupine plants.
Just my bias but WFF isnt the best where plants are concerned.
Just because they have a long standing reputation doesnt mean they are reliable plant growers.
Many people who live in the area buy from them direct at the farm.
My mail orders were horrible and the other websits listed them as the 5 worst.

I think they used to have a much better reputation than they do nowadays. Seems a big company bought them out some years ago, and that's about when I started hearing negative reports on them.

I believe the company was Jackson and Perkins. I ordered from them over 30 years ago. Azaleas and lavander ,maybe other plants too. Those early orders thrived. In the past 15 years I placed orders and was astonished at the small poor quality of the plants.
I was reading a mag.Garden Gate, and the cover had a refrence to an article "Daves Garden rates 5 worst mail order nurseries"
I was eager and sure enough near the top odf the list was WFF, VanBorgundien was in there too.I had bad experiences with them also.
I wondered who else was listed besides five. I googled Daves and the rest is history.I had given up mail ordering.Just didnt trust them.

Van B was taken over by the next generation as well; not as good as before. I found less choice on WFF as well. It must be the shipping process that works against them if locals are still there.

Local people ( within driving distance) say they have good luck w/WFF.
Fine,I wont order from them except bulbs which are imported.
Same for American Meadows.Bulbs OK plants NOT.

These are plants with the White Flower Farm label commercially grown and sold at local nurseries. I don't mail order them. I just bought the Lupines at a local nursery and could see exactly what I was getting.

Thats the safe thing to do.
I ordered Gallery Blue lupines from GC and they were beautiful the first bloom. They are steril so no re seeding. I wonder if all Gallery type lupines are like that?
There are some at a local grower I'm tempted but theu only have pinks.

My Gallery Blue (and the other colors) made seeds. I cut the flower heads off as soon as they were done so the seeds never matured and dropped but they deffinately made seeds.

I have tried to find where I read the seeds are steril. I cant find the article anywhere.
I will be thrilled to find out its not true.

I went and bought new potted plants and redid the Lupine garden. I now have it back better than ever!

More pictures of this years Lupines.

They are beautiful.Dont do well here in clay land.

Gorgeous! Remember to let a few go to seed, and I'd be they will establish a permanent presence in the garden

JoAnn, I've read Lupines require good drainage and don't like to stay wet for too long, do you think that's the problem with the clay?