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Your zone is a tad warm for lupines to perform their best. They have the constitution of a musk ox; but get the vapors in heat & humidity. You'll notice that most people who report great success with lupines are in Zone 5 and below. I once made a trip up the St. Lawrence Seaway, around the Gaspe Penninsula, & over to the Bay of Fundy the first week in June. The fields of wild lupines in full bloom were awesome. Here, in my CT garden, it's hit or miss with them. Some years they bloom, set seed, & thrive. Then, the next year seedlings will just sit, pout, & eventually die off in July/August. Tricia

I was weeding yesterday and while weeding, I found a small clump of lily of the valley. I know it's lily of the valley because it was blooming, and also because our neighbor has it down the side of their house and in the front corner, closest to us, that's how I know the plant. I've never had lily of the valley...it got here somehow....does it go to seed and birds ate the seed and deposited it here?

I've been digging up LotV for a week now. I had a naturalized patch around 20x10 feet when I moved here and while I love the way they look and the fragrance is divine, they do. not. behave. Give 'em an inch and they take a mile and I need the real estate for other projects. I am thinking about retaining a small patch for the fragrance. Meris, "rake them out since they are shallow"- hahaha. The periphery of my patch was easier digging but once I reached the epicenter, things became very tough indeed. Mine are very thick mats of roots that go perhaps six+ inches deep. If I dig down deeply enough (once I break through the tough fibrous mats) I can peel them up like very thick sod but it takes huge effort. My right arm and shoulder are so sore I can hardly move thanks to digging these buggers. I should get the husband in there with a shovel, but I have so many tiny plantings and right now both he and his bigfoot feet are prohibited from walking in my beds. Knowing me I'd rather kill myself doing it alone just to beat the damn things. As it stands I plan on giving it about an hour a day or so until I get them reined in to their designated area. In the coming seasons I will diligently go after every errant pup, and depending on how difficult they are to contain I might decide to eradicate them completely. I am toying with the idea of relocating some of them to a more marginal area, like our pet cemetery, which has lots of space available. Still can't decide whether to keep any or not. The fragrance might just be worth all this work, might not, only time will tell.