I am needing to create some paths through my woodland beds and need to move some hellebores and a columbine. I have a few questions and would like some ideas. 1. Any ideas for creating a good looking grouping, companion plants that like shade and go with the leaf structure (which is pretty good sized) of the hellebores? 2. Am I going to kill the larger ones when I try and move them? Hellebores are massive self-sowers in my yard, but I would like to keep some of the larger specimens too. 3. Best time of year for hellebores? Some I may wait to move some. 4. I don't usually move columbine, but am going to give it a try for a black flowering one. Any suggestions?
Hi Jewell: You need to be sure and dig deep enough with the columbine as they have a tap root that goes fairly deep. You could plant Fern leaf bleeding heart as a companion for a smaller plant. They have very neat leaves and flowers. Or if you want something really big and showy you could plant Flee Bane. It has really neat foliage and flower spikes that are about 12 inches long and are fragrant. The flower spikes can reach up to 6ft or more. I will try and post a pic of it in my various photo's page. Hope that helps. :-D
Hi Jewell, I have not had much luck in moving columbine. They have a really long tap root and not a whole lot of fibrous roots to hold the soil around the main root. My suggestion is to cast some seeds and let them germinate and pull out the ones you don't want or start some in some pots and transplant whatever ones you want. For companion plants in the shade, maybe some trillium, may apples, solomon's seal, ferns, or maybe some st. john's wort if you want a ground cover. these are natives and usually do pretty well with no maintenance what so ever. Most of these do well in zones 5-9. hopefully after I type this I find that you are in this range
Thanks Tootyshoes and Carolyn. Guess it is time for me to get some new varieties of columbine. They self seed so bad they are even between the pavers this year. I just really liked the black flowering one and it is right where I'm going to put a path. Have the bed is too big to even water properly being right under the tree..have to have a couple of walkways to get into it. I am going to be looking for for the plants listed. A few I have, but want to explore some new varieties. Thanks for your ideas. I am looking forward to exploring my options. Sorry to hear you lost a columbine MaryAnn. Guess now is the time to seed them here since they are just going to seed.
No I think I avoided losing it, Jewell... but I was thinking that I would like to move it because it's in an awkward spot... so now I know NOT to try to move it. Like yours, they self seed like crazy so I think I can sort of "shimmy" it around as it grows larger and larger. They are neat plants. I'm shocked at how much it spread this year though...
