Columbines

Elisabeth — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:28:00 GMT

Everywhere I look in my yard I can see the distinctive, lobed leaves of columbine (Aquilegia). Many of the plants are about to bloom and I can't wait, because the backyard display changes every year.

The word "columbine" is from the Latin "columbinus," which means, according to Bill Neal, author of Gardener's Latin, "like a dove". In this case, the reference is more specific, indicating "flowers shaped like a group of doves."

Columbine have graceful, open flowers and I can see why someone long ago thought that they looked like doves. Many species sport elongated petal "spurs," which resemble tails.

In my garden those doves have settled everywhere. Over the course of the last nine years I have planted several species and varieties of columbine. Some are the well-known 'McKana's Giant' (above, left), which are tall and flower in many colors. I also have the old-fashioned double or "granny's bonnet" type, which are sometimes called "pleated" columbine. In one of the shady areas, there are a few 'Black Barlow' plants (below, left), with lots of petals, but none of the characteristic spurs. The offspring of all those varieties pop up at random wherever there is a bit of soil.

Columbine hybridize freely among themselves, so just about everyone who plants more than a few will end up with some interesting new specimens. The plants are also relatively short-lived, so sometimes you will find an unexpected empty space where you used to have a columbine. It's highly likely, though, that you will also have some new, self-sown plants not too far away.

Columbines come in lots of lovely colors including pure white, yellow, all shades of pink and red, blues, purples and some that appear almost black. Several years ago I planted a whole bed with blue and white columbines. A few blue and white-flowered plants are still in that bed, along with a lot of mysterious purple offspring. I am not complaining. They still make a great spring picture.

Good Neighbors

Elisabeth — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:11:00 GMT

Like most gardeners, I get excited when I find plants that bloom at the same time and work well together. Several years ago I planted bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) and a columbine mixture in a small bed in my back garden. Both species flowered at the same time, and the combination was perfect. The "hearts" on the bleeding heart are pink with a very slight blue cast, which worked perfectly with the blue-flowered columbine in the batch of mixed plants. After the first year, the blue columbines seemed to reseed more readily than those with white or pink flowers. Eventually I moved the white and pink ones and let the blues reproduce at will. This particular plant combination also succeeds in indoor flower arrangements.

This year I may also try adding the western bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa, sometimes known as Dicentra eximia). The flowers are similar in color to those of the common bleeding heart, though the "hearts" are a little more elongated. The western species has the added advantage of luxurious fern-like leaves, which would add a new dimension to the display.

Growing Wise : Aquilegia

Columbines

Good Neighbors