Columbines, taken with Canon Rebel XS 1000D
Hardy to at least zone 3a (Greater Sudbury area)
Columbines are one of my favorites. When I lived in Ottawa I had over 60 different ones, some very similar, others very different.
They are early blooming perennials, blooming mid-spring to mid-summer. If you are lucky, they will give you another small flush of blooms before summer sets in. They are perfect for SHADE gardens, and will withstand partial to full sun to some extent. If you see the leaves are starting to crisp at the edges, or if the plants look miserable, be a good gardener, and move them to a more suitable spot.
They have VERY FEW ennemies and very few health problems. These guys can take it in, and still come out breathing. You may notice at times however, there are little beige-yellow lines like wild roadways criss crossing the leaves. These are caused by tiny little worm-like critters called leaf-miners that live IN the leaves. You may be tempted to remove the "infected" foliage, but trust me, you'll end up removing it pretty much all. From my experience with these flowers (13 yrs +) I found that these lines in the leaves did not really hinder the plant. Personally I thought it added character :)
They self seed readily. If you don't want them to do so, dead head regularly. When mine go to seed this fall, I will take pictures and post on this blog how to gather and keep the seeds for next year. Like most flowers, the more you deadhead, the more she'll bloom for you!
Note that some columbines have very long spurs, (those long leggy things in the back. Others have itty bitty ones. If you look at the red and white columbines, you will see what I'm talking about.
Some are dual colored, others only one. Be warned that certain columbines cross-breed in between. So if you have cherished blue ones, don't plant other colors nearby, as they will mingle and you'll end up with who knows what.
These guys are fairly short about a foot and a half at the most. The McKanna Giants are really tall almost 2.5 feet! The may appear spindly when the plants are young, but give it a couple of years and you'll have a beautiful large stand of color! The best part? The Hummingbirds LOVE them! (they love any tubular shaped flowers!)
These guys have yet to be planted. I'm considering the right front bed, where there is partial full sun during the day. The one plant I had was actually one I'd given my father's wife, who then gave it back when I moved here :) THAT one is pink and white, and from the looks of it, it LOVES where it is! I'll definitely take pics and post them!
These babies are fairly hard to kill. They also don't demand much in feeding and watering. If you treat them right, they'll repay the favor by tons of blooms. Give them time to grow into their roots, and keep an eye out at first. They'll let you know if they don't like it where they are. But they're not fussy. Try one, you'll be like me, hooked!
No comments:
Post a Comment