I just want to spit on those Lupines! All joking aside, they are soooo pretty.

I really am enjoying them. Thought they were pretty last year but they just are even better this year.

Rita, that Rio Rojo shows up so beautifully in your garden. I love the golden-orange violas too, such a nice color!
Renee

Renee- I have the Columbines in back there that I only planted this spring and then the dying folliage of the Tulips and some daffodil folliage to hide. Also some Dutch Iris didn't bloom yet in front. But I needed something in that garden to give it more color so put these annual orange violas there will I think on how I can fix up this garden.

I was lucky enough to grow some lupines for a few years at my Mom's place. I even love the foliage. Very pretty Rita!

The lupines look so beautiful and healthy, what a great statement they make. Love the Iris, too; a very striking color.

No matter what else you post, Rita, the lupines make me swoon! I loeve the way they look. Post lots of pictrues. Since I can't groww them here, I love seiing yours.
kay

Just love the lupine Rita, thanks for posting.. Im weeks away from mine.

Ive already had some deer here and of course they basically ignored all else and hate the bearded iris early. Im still going to get a couple.

But slugs really take a huge toll on them as well. Then I usually lose them to that moth, lol, Im not sure im slotted in life to grow bearded iris at all..

Silverkelt

Don't know how to stop deer except to get a big dog. As for the slugs try Slugo, works great.

I do keep posting pictures of the Lupines because they really are just so pretty. Now more bloom stalks are appearing every day so they just keep getting prettier.

I just love everyones lupine pictures.

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. You make me want Lupines (already have Iris, and yours are lovely).

Lovely!! I do love lupines but have been disappointed in their life-span. I find I can only keep them 2-3 years and then they peter out. My favorite lupine surprise was one year all the multi-colored lupine I planted on the edge of the woods next to us all reverted to ice blue. It was a stunning display. One of the worst gardening mistakes I made was waiting until it stopped raining to get a pic of those lupine. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. It rained that entire spring, and I never captured the beauty. The lupine disappeared after that.

Those lupine are on steroids!!! I'm just jealous, I have never had a plant of any kind look like that in my sad little garden. I shall endeavor to amend the soil...one day I will walk out there, and POW! Happy plants! heh heh!

Pretty, pretty...as always! :)

Calamity,
Warning. Rita is an absolutely deadly enabler. Her gardens and her pictures will ensnare you, and you will have to have....whatever she is posting this time. I've only caused her to spend a tiny bit, but she has shown me so many beauties that I just know whatever she is posting I will want. And I couldn't grow one of those stunning lupines no matter what. Aren't they lovely though.
kay

Thank you all for the compliments. I do love to help people send their money on their gardens, ha-ha. I love my garden and I like to show it off so take lots of pictures.

Kay has such a pretty garden herself and always expanding. You never know what she is going to add next either.

Calamity- The lupines do not need rich soil. Good drainage is very important though. They would never grow in clay.

Rita - the lupines are stunning and I ditto what everyone else has said. I have tried them in the past and will try them again but I think our hot humid summers are just too much for them or like you say too much clay in our soils. Your gardens are such an inspiration tho and I love looking at your pictures - keep them coming :) .....

Lynne

Oh boy. Those lupine pictures makes me want to try them again. I had luck with them in my last yard but no matter where I've tried them in the gardens now, I just have no luck. I love the mix of colors you have. Which variety are they?

Those are Gallery Lupines. They don't grow anywhere near as tall as the Russel types. I have two Gallery Pink and the rest are gallery red and many gallery blue. The thing that makes them so pretty are the jewel tones and the fact that there are so many color tones. For instance in the third Lupine picture which is a closeup. Those two bloom spikes side by side right in the middle are from a plant labeled gallery blue. Now one is very purple and the other is very blue. So one gets a wide range of colors which just makes the groupings even prettier.

I also have lupines I bought last spring as tiny plants from Bluestone perennials that I planted over around the other side of my house. They thrived, came thru the winter and two of them are blooming. I guess the others are still too small. Those are supposed to be taller. They call them WoodField Hybreds an improved Russel type. I didn't post a picture of them here.

I used to grow a viola that color named Chantreyland. It lived over for me about 3 years. Lupines are lovely, they don't last long for me on this gyp hill. It's nice to see yours.

I tried so many violas last year and none of them came back. So now I am only getting afew and treating them as annuals.

Thanks Rita. I'll have to keep an eye out for that variety and maybe try them. They really are beautiful. Are those the batch that you bought locally? Or did you finally mail-order some of those Gallery?

The ones in the pictures I bought locally potted. Those are the Gallery Lupines. I did buy some small plants from Bluestone called WoodField hybrids and those I planted over around the other side of the house. They sure were tiny but they must like it here as they grew fine and overwintered. Some are blooming now.

If you want to mail order Gallery Lupines you can buy them from Graceful Gardens.