While there is no question that "Leafing Season" has a better brand, "Lupine Season" on the Maine coast is just as wonderful. Everywhere in May and June are visual treats.
Lupines can be found from the edges of the Maine Turnpike, to the back roads, to the water's edge. In purple, pink and white, they are clustered in small patches or entire fields.
Beach roses make the best case for combining pink and green. And constant breezes perfectly mingle their fragrance with salt water.
Fields of buttercups are also everywhere.
And when they come together, it is truly a symphony.
16 comments:
My favorite book as a child was Miss Rumphius, so I have a great love for lupines. These are beautiful!
@Angela Drake - Yes, Barbara Cooney lived in nearby Damariscotta for years and would often walk down to the local bookstore to sign a book on a moment's notice. Her house is now for sale.
I love lupines! I just planted some on my yard, hopefully on my way to my own 'cottage garden' in the States.
Miss Rumphius, the "Lupine Lady" is still one our family's favorite literary characters. Every summer we spread more lupine seeds in the fields around our home.
Wonderful pics! There is really nothing more beautiful than nature itself.
I love these pictures! Such familiar scenes.
I grew up in Maine and spent my summers on Islesboro, and lupine were everywhere near our cottage.
I have tried and failed repeatedly to grow lupines at my own home in New England. And advice? I just can't get them to "take" even after a period of cold stratification of seeds. As I understand it, store-bought plants often fail because unlike most other plants, lupines have a long tap-root and don't take well to being transplanted (or grown in containers.)
For that matter, is the plural lupine, or lupines? I have always said "lupine" but I don't know why (and you can see I'm using both words in this post.)
@The Intrepid French Learner - I have always used the singular, but some technical people I know use the plural, so I am not really sure. Isleboro is absolutely beautiful - one of my favorite places, and the Blue Heron Restaurant was always my ultimate destination for hot fudge sundaes when I was little. I'll bet you knew a Pendleton or two!
A field of buttercups is one of the northern hemisphere things I hope to see one day. as always beautiful pictures
These photos just take my breath away!
Congratulations, Muffy, you've finally pushed me over the edge into envy's deep end. I was in Maine over the weekend, but I missed the lupines. This is my favourite series of photographs thus far. Just beautiful.
I see I'm not the only reader reminded of Miss Rumphius. Lovely.
@Michael Rowe - You remind me of the quote from Ruth More, in The Weir. "That was the place you were homesick for, even when you were there," recently cited by tumblr Maine Things. Of course, the prodigious mosquitoes that emerged when the wind stopped would meliorate many such feelings!
Having just returned from three weeks in Maine. I can only look dream of going back in the very near future.
@The Intrepid French Learner: I, too have had bad luck growing Lupines (yes, it is Lupines) in Southern New England, and have tried a plants from a wide variety of sources including on trips to Maine and New Hampshire. They just do not thrive as more than an annual due to our cold winters in Northwest CT. The coast of Maine is a higher zone. There is an excellent discussion of the plant in Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus
and in Taylor's Guide to Perennials. No one I know has any luck growing them around here.
Muffy: excellent entry, as usual. You maintain a superior standard!
Ah, just as I was drifting off into a daydream of lying in the middle of that field of lupines and buttercups, I was brought back to reality by the buzzing of those 'prodigious mosquitoes'!
I love how the little white daisies poke out in the last photo.
In case anyone is interested ,in the UK they are called lupins and considered a bit of a joke by all the garden snobs; you won't see many at Sissinghurst!
Cheers
Herts
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