sad aquilegia

i put in 5 aquilegia 'Songbird' mixed plants last year. they didn't bloom, but all came up again this spring. 2 of them are violet and are healthy and blooming. The other 3 (all 5 are planted in a circle around a clematis) look to be pale blue, have some buds that may not even open. the plants look wilted and somewhat stunted. disease? the pic is obviously of the violet. guess I should have taken one of the sad blue ones. It's not in my rock garden, but I know there is columbine expertise here....wait, I looked at the picture again. you can see the top of one of the sick ones at the bottom. yellowed leaves, etc.

This message was edited Jun 5, 2006 7:53 PM

I thought aquilegia were as tough as old boots! Can't imagine what has gone wrong there. Hope you find an answer - if it's not under or overwatering then insects or disease is all it can be.

Grampapa, here in southcentral Alaska we have problems with aphids on columbine. The buds are small and don't seem to open and they look stunted and weak. You could pull apart one of the buds to examine it more thoroughly... Carol

thanks, Carol. if they come up again in the spring at all, I will take a look