The Creative Soul

05/31/2026

I added this variegated campion to the garden in May. I’m not familiar enough with variegated plants to know if I should be worried about these all green stems. could you shed some light?

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

Maybe a last look at these beauties, the forecast predicts high winds and rain.

05/28/2026

Yes, it’s always windy here!

05/27/2026

Lupines are beautiful, but they’re also hard workers in the garden. They have deep taproots that can help break up hard soils. The roots go very deep to look for water, so they are draught tolerant too.

Lupines are also members of the legume family, so they are nitrogen fixers. They take nitrogen gas from the air and through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria living in root nodules, they convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable plant food. They are often tilled into the soil as a form of green manure.

05/27/2026

Aside from their beauty here’s a little bit about the benefits of planting Lupines.

Lupines are nitrogen-fixing plants. They belong to the legume family (like peas and beans) and partner with specific soil bacteria to turn invisible nitrogen gas from the air into a natural, plant-usable fertilizer.

Even though the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, plants cannot absorb it in gas form. As lupines grow, they form a partnership with soil bacteria called Rhizobia. The bacteria invade the plant's roots, creating small bumps called nodules.

These bacteria act as a biological factory, pulling nitrogen gas out of the air and converting it into ammonia, which the plant needs to build proteins and grow. As the lupine sheds leaves, drops roots, or dies back, the nitrogen accumulated in the plant tissues is released into the dirt. This boosts overall soil fertility.

Beyond fertilizing the soil, lupines provide other structural benefits. Lupines have long taproots that break up compacted soil. These roots dig deep into the earth to access water, making the plant highly drought-tolerant. Gardeners and farmers frequently plant lupines specifically to till them back into the ground, a process that improves the soil's organic matter and water-retention capabilities

05/27/2026

What a difference several hours make. The iris went from buds yesterday to open flowers this morning.