Although in 1895 the legislature adopted the Maine state flower as the White Pine Cone, if it came up for a vote my selection would have to be the Lupine. Since it grows wild here, there are fields and fields of this exquisite, colorful flower, even along the highways. It ranges in color from deep purple to white and stands up to 4 feet tall. There is no effort in growing these and no propagation needed. You can literally throw the seeds on the ground and soon you’ll see the seedlings appear. To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll want to plant them IN the soil!
They bloom in late Spring, early summer and you can get 2 bloomings by cutting off the flower after the first has died. It likes full to partial sun and damp soil. Because they have long taproots, they are not suppose to transplant well but I have found that it is easily done when the plants are small.
That brings me to the Etsy shop for the day!
Maine Simple is the name of the shop and they’ll send you the seeds and all the instructions you need to grow this fabulous plant. Before long you will be attracting butterflies and hummingbirds for your enjoyment. Think of how stunning these would look on either side of your driveway or along the front of your house. My suggestion would be to pick up some Columbine while you are shopping; they have those as well.
The Lupines and Columbines are self-seeding so you don’t have to do anything in the fall to bring them back fuller and thicker each year. One thing though, as with many Perennials don’t look for these long stalks of colors on your Lupines the first year. I promise you though, it will be worth the wait!
Stop by
Maine Simple and enjoy a piece of the way life should be.
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