columbines

My columbines in 'lover's lane' burst into bloom over the week end.

Columbines are a lovely spring-blooming perennial that can become invasive, with a bloom time of nearly two months and are found in many colors and design. However, the dominate color seems to be in pinks, purple/blues and burgundy.  Spending a lot of money on special colors seems a little moot as they either fail to re-seed as readily or get crowded out by the dominate colors. Personal choice! :)

After bloom-time, cut the WHOLE plant to the ground. Columbines that have a 'mosaic' look is a bug in the leaf, leaving small trails on the leaf as it eats its way around it. The foliage grows back fresh but does not bloom again and gets rid of the bug. Don't put the foliage in the compost but dispose of it either in the trash or throw it far away from the gardens. If you want to spread the tiny black seed around, let the seed heads dry until it 'rattles' then break 'em open and sprinkle 'em where you want them to grow. If you want to share them, shake 'em in a paper bag to give away. The bed pictured here is two summers old and growing...

They are a beautiful addition to the spring season, especially in wooded, shady areas. The spot where mine are was shaded but lost the Japanese maple growing there - much to my dismay! They seem to be doing well, in spite of the lack of shade.

I've had this 'Lover's Lane' sign for years and I think it was part of another piece that got broken.Now it's tacked up on the wooden fence - pleasing to the imagination! :)

...happy gardening!

ox