Karrie, what a gorgeous large clump of rosy colored Columbines. They must be very happy where you've planted them!
Todd, that's one Columbine that I'm not familiar with, A. viridiflora! Did you purchase it as a plant or grow it from seed?
Tabasco, thanks for the nice comments, but these lovely perennials really "sell themselves"! I've grown mine from seed. They do need stratification, meaning they will need several months of cold temperatures followed by warmer temps to break open the seed coat and start the germination process. Propagation from seed can either be done in your refrigerator and then moved a heated mat or I personally like to wintersow them! I wintersowed three different varieties this year and some have already germinated and will be ready to plant in the ground soon. Hope this helps.
Columbine Are In Their Glory
Shirley - I didn't plant them there. And when I first moved here, I didn't know what a Columbine was and tried to dig it up. But the roots are underneath a concrete slab and I couldn't kill it - it kept coming back every year. I thought it was a weed, never giving it a chance to bloom, always cutting off the buds so that it wouldn't spread, lol! Well, I finally figured out what it was and let it bloom.
Tabasco, I am not sure if the seed from some of these could be collected and sown or not. Some may be hybrids and you not end up with the same colors. I have yet to find out what mine truly is, but have been told that it is most likely a hybrid and won't come true to seed. I should gather some this year and give it a try - it would be nice to have this particular Columbine in a different and more showy place.
I saw on a thread once, I think last year, that some people believed that Columbines were bi-annuals. That may either be the case for the variety you have, or just where you live. I have 3 Columbines. That pinkish one, an orange/cream/burgandy one- McCanna Giant, and a dark blue one. They all come back year after year.
This is my columbine that I grew from seed, I have been waiting 3 years for it to bloom. It's called woodside variegata, love the foliage, small purple blooms.
Cathy
PS This was one of the first plants that I winter sown.
The foliage is a yellow with green patches. If anyone wants seeds from this I'll save them.
Cathy
Thanks for all the good info on Columbines. And thanks everyone for offering the seeds--I just took a tour of my sister's garden and she has some lovely ones too and offered me some starts. So come next year I hope I can post some pics.
That's a very unique one Cathy! Worth waiting for.
Susan
Columbine 'Songbird Bluejay'
Now...this is from the above pic I posted...what is wrong with the leaves...the squiggly white lines running through some of the leaves?
Leaf miners. They live in between the layers of the leaves and munch the insides. Just pinch off the affected leaves.
-Kim
Karrie, so glad you weren't able to dig up your clump of "weeds"! It sure paid off with all those beautiful flowers!!
Cathy, gorgeous chartruse foliage and is looks lovely with the dark purple blooms. Do you just pinch off the spent flowers, store them in a paper bag and eventually the seeds fall to the bottom of the bag? I grew out Columbine seeds that I bought either retail or received in a trade. I haven't ever saved the seeds, but I'm sure it's not difficult.
Deb, your Columbine "Songbird Bluejay" is so pretty and your plant is just covered in blooms! Great job!!
Here is another Columbine that started flowering in my garden. Sorry, I don't know the name of it.....another "runaway" tag! I just call it "Rosy" Columbine. If anyone knows the name of it, please let me know.
Yep - that pretty Columbine was destined - and now very happy that I know it's a flower.
I'm enjoying my evenings outdoors already. Anyone else? So peaceful, wind is calmed down, things are blooming. My favorite time of the year has finally got here again. Here is a pic I took of my porch I'm about to retreat to - and Max likes it too.
Here is a picture of my largest columbine bloom, I planted mixes last year this is their first blooms
Here's a nice surprise I found today in my garden. I didn't even know I had a white columbine :)
emily, what a great picture! Made me giggle, looks like the flower has eyes like some animal or alien creature, then the pollen was a big snout and the unopened buds were weird arms.
It's official, now everyone knows I am crazy:-) Look again, you know I am right!
-Kim
You're right, Kim! Water drops look like eyes and it seems like this flower is looking back at you! It certainly has a snoot full of pollen! AAaaachoo!! Bless you!!
oh good, that means you are just as crazy as I am!
Does anyone know about seed saving from these - Should I be looking/bagging at the flowers to save some seed?
-Kim
LOL! That's funny. Looking at it again, I see what you mean. The bloom is pretty big. From end of petal to end of petal is about 4 inches. Any idea which variety of columbine it is?
Emily that is a beautiful flower!
I am so excited! The columbine I planted 3 years ago is gorgeous right now and I was weeding under it and I found 3 columbine babies. The plant had babies! So I dug them up and have them in little pots and in the fall they go in the garden! I almost pulled the plants up as weeds and then took a closer look. I hope I get more. (The purple coneflower is coming up everywhere too and candytuft) !!
What is your opinion on growing columbine in shade, part shade or full sun. I am wondering if the blooms are better in any one location or if they are about the same?
Thanks,
sunnyskies
Oh, I have one more question. I would like to know if anyone has actually saved the seed from their columbines and if so, how do you do it? I have no idea what the seed looks like, but my guess is small. Should I put a nylon over the flower and will it drop them into it?
Thanks for any help that can be given.
Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; start outdoors mid-winter in covered containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
Germinating Aquilegia Seeds: Start columbine seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost date. Barely cover the seeds. Place the pots in the fridge for 3 weeks. Or sow outdoors in pots in early spring. Hardy to zone 3. Full sun to part shade. Self-sows.
Here's a shot of my blue columbine that I don't know the name of. This is a close-up. The flowers are actually very small.
Wow Shirley1md,
That's some great information! Thank you. Now I am really excited. The one I have that is in bloom now is pretty with pink and white blooms and also purple and white blooms on the same plant. Very striking.
I let my flowers (columbine) dry on the plant, then cut them off and put them in a paper bag to dry further. Then I shake the bag and the seeds come loose.
Oh good idea. I'll try that! Thanks.
I doubt that the hybrid varieties will come true, but it still is worth growing them from seed to see what they will produce. Maybe a brand new gorgeous Columbine!
Very pretty blue bloom, Karrie. Any idea of it's name?
Shirley - I looked through the PDB and couldn't find a single one that matched my blue one. One of the striking parts about this plant is the foilage. The leaves go from green to blue - very pretty.
I'm going to go ahead and collect some seed from both the blue and the dark pink ones this year and see if they will come true. If they will, I'll offer them later on. I'd hate to send someone seeds and they get something else. These seeds get collected early - before I'm even really ready for collecting. I still have lotza garden work to do to prepare for summer - but I am getting there. I've been patiently waiting for these spring winds to let up. My Brugmansias are sheltered from the winds right now, but because of that aren't getting enough sun. I just can't stand seeing the wind beat them to death.
Karrie, could you take a picture of the Columbine leaves, so that we can see what they look like please? Did you do a search on the World Wide Web? That would be your best bet.
Spring is ALWAYS a very busy time in the garden! Do get your Brugs use to being outdoors, if the chances of freeze warnings have been lifted for your area. Mine have been outside for almost a month and they're loving it!
All your Columbines are great, ours will not even be up for another month yet, I would love to have some of those yellow ones.
Doris
Question: what do you do once it's bloomed? Do you cut that center stalk down and might it bloom again, or is one all you get per season?
If you look at the bottom leaves that is where you see the colors.
SInce you all have such great looking columbines growing.......have any info to share on this situation?
I have an established shade bed under a couple oaks. I have added columbines off and on for several years. They always die off. A couple times I thought I had some bad plants--and they were replaced last year w/ healthy ones. I don't see anything disturbing them. Is there something about being under oaks that they don't like?
Thanks~
I'm not sure - but I do know that all my columbines are in full sun.
I hope this link helps with some of the questions that have been asked about growing Columbine.
http://www.ehow.com/tips_7036.html
P.S. You can take their tip "with a grain of salt".
This message was edited May 26, 2005 8:47 PM
Here is one that I purchased at Plant Delights a couple of years ago. Sorry, I don't know its name.
Shirley, Your closeup pics are just gorgeous. I am a lover as well. I only have one known variety, Nora Barlowe. The rest were from seed I ordered from ebay and the bees have, of course, changed the colors on some of them. Here are a few that I have.
This is a very lovely pink one.
This one, when it first blooms, before the sun bleaches it, is a mustard yellow.
And good old Nora Barlowe
