Thanks Tiffy - I moved them on Sunday and none too soon because we have had buckets of rain since then. It's been so dry here I've been watering every day, now it's so hot and humid - there's no happy medium. Thanks again. Northerner.

Zinnias, like most annuals, need to complete their life cycle in a single season so they need to develop roots, grow fast, produce foliage and colorful blooms fairly quickly so as to attract pollinators, then produce seeds with the goal of continuing their species. Lupines & other perennials germinate and develop seed leaves followed by their first "true" leaves that resemble the mature plant's leaves. But they can take the time to develop healthy root systems because they're not up against the calendar like annuals. Many perennials will not bloom the first season when grown from seed because they're putting all their energy into developing strong root systems and plant structure to support their subsequent growth years. Perennial flower production can wait until the plant is mature, strong & healthy. My seed-grown lupines didn't bloom until their second year but the show was well worth the wait. Another tip about lupines: they do best in lousy soil. The plants in the photos are growing in my neighbor's south foundation bed where I planted them because the soil is nothing more than sand and rocks. The ones I planted in my healthy, sandy garden loam that's rich with worm p**p didn't do anywhere near as well.

Avedon: It is white with pale blue veining. At least to my eyes. ;-). I haven't sniffed it yet. My sister who lives across the road from me had these lupines growing wild so I took a couple of her plants and transplanted here. Free is always better, right? Rita and Kay: I love iris but now need to change it up to some different colors. I love the purple but not so many LOL. Lupines are pretty when they bloom but you should see my sisters field of them. Stunning. I doubt BFD will bloom again but hey, you never know. Probably best to get plants from the south in the early fall so they bloom the following year. Now if dandelions were in demand, I'd be a billionaire. ;-). Julia

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Fungus might well be a possibility, terrene, with all the rain in recent years. Biennials just don't cut it for me in perennial beds that are a long walk from the house. I have to say that my lupines have been behaving exactly like biennials. Nope, diggingthedirt, I don't deadhead any of my perennials, and in fact I've even tried planting some of the seed pods to no avail, the other pods ought to be self-sowing. I wonder if the nursery where I bought them has sold me a hybrid variety that doesn't self-sow. And nhbabs the possibility of voles may just be the most likely scenerio yet. If the voles like lupine, then no wonder mine are doomed. The area where my lupine is planted is overrun with voles, since the foxes moved on. (I miss "my" foxes!) You would think that eating a poisonous plant would kill the voles, but then if those who dined on lupine did die, it would not make a dent in the vole overpopulation. It sounds like there are just too many perils for lupine. I think I've bought my last lupine plants, as pretty as they may be. Guess I'll replace these when they go with more phlox, daylilies, or iris, since these plants thrive there. Thanks again for the replies. All your ideas have been very helpful.