No need to feel jealous of the beautiful wildflower fields covered in lupines. You can easily create your own mini wildflower meadow that will attract pollinators and provide you with colorful flowers to enjoy. Lupines are particularly stunning with their vibrant blue and purple spires, which are known to attract butterflies, mason bees, bumble bees, and hummingbirds. Planting lupines is a simple process, and over time they will self-sow and fill out the area. To ensure success, it’s best to choose a location that receives full sun, or partial shade if necessary, and has well-drained soil. As legumes, lupines act as their own fertilizer, meaning that you won’t need to fertilize them often.

Starting your own lupine plot can be done easily and inexpensively by using lupine seeds. To help them absorb moisture, soak the seeds in water overnight and give them a little extra help by nicking them with a file or knife. Once they have been soaked, plant the lupine seeds in your preferred location for wildflowers. One of the many benefits of planting lupine seeds is that they do not require deep digging or spacing–simply scratch the soil a bit, drop the seeds, and watch them germinate. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you won’t immediately have a field of lupines, so be patient!

Let’s do some quick math! Multiply 2.124 by 1.411.

If you have obtained some lupine plants, get ready to witness their self-sowing abilities which will result in an abundance of new lupine plants. You can enjoy your lupine meadow or wildflower plot for several years to come. However, if you prefer a slightly less unkempt appearance, consider planting Russellhybrids, a hybrid lupine variety, in your smaller garden space. These hybrids grow up to three to four feet tall and come in various colors including reds, pinks, yellows, whites, as well as the classic purples and blues. Additionally, Galleryseries lupines are available for those who desire shorter plants that only grow up to two feet tall. Keep in mind that when planting lupines in a smaller garden space, it is advisable to be more careful when they begin to self-sow. Nonetheless, if you wish to let them spread a bit, allow them to drop their seeds and self-sow into the soil.

To avoid self-sowing, it’s important to deadhead your plants thoroughly after they’ve finished blooming. Interestingly, if you allow hybrid lupines to self-sow, they will eventually revert back to their dominant blue color. It’s possible that the color of your lupines may change as they self-sow. As for the tiny flies on your lilac bushes, they are likely not harmful as long as the bush is healthy and had a good bloom season.

Many insects that we come across aren’t causing any harm, so it’s possible that the flies were simply attracted to the lilacs’ color and scent. In response to Barry’s query about deer eating everything in his garden, there are two main solutions. The first involves putting up a fence that’s at least seven feet tall to prevent the deer from leaping over it. Alternatively, one could try using repellents such as Plant Skydd, which uses blood meal and has a strong odor that can deter deer for several months. For more tips on keeping larger animals out of your garden, check out All Things Gardening.

To discourage animals from eating new growth, it is recommended to continue using spray repellents. You can try other options that contain strong odors such as rotten eggs, garlic, cayenne pepper, or essential oils. The key is to rotate the products to prevent deer from becoming accustomed to one scent. If you have any gardening questions, you can send them in for Charlie to answer on upcoming episodes of All Things Gardening. Tune in to Weekend Edition Sunday with VPR host Mary Engisch at 9:35 am to hear the show. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or tips by sending a message or tweeting @vprnet. Unfortunately, comments are closed, but there are other ways to get in touch.