My cousin Shawn lives in Ohio and we text eachother daily. Just sharing little tidbits here and there. Like oh my kid did this and I did that. Well I guess my growing obsession has taken notice cause he sent me a packeag of flower seeds. I've never had or seen these. I'm pretty sure I may have read about a stewbies Columbine and maybe seen the flower in a picture. Its really quite overwhelming the amount of flowers this beautiful earth has to offer. Anyways so my awesome cousin sent me these kind. Columbine McKena Giant mix. ( photo / image / picture from Mrs. Galeassi's Garden ) So I have no clue how to germinate these. But I have a little time to research it cause of tropical storm Andreas whom is presently drowning my plants! I got completely soaked this morning at 7 am running around out there moving my plants.the package says chill the seeds first. Uhm WHAT? That's a first for me. That's what I get for thinking I got it all figured out! Hahaha Hope you are all having an awesome day everyone!
How thoughtful! Gosh, I have to buy all my own seed Columbine is one of my fave spring flowers, just wish they lasted longer! Im not sure about your area, but here I just toss Columbine seed on the ground in the fall and they pop up in the spring. They also reseed themselves. Ive also started them like regular seeds, in cell packs. Seeding soil, sprinkle on top, maybe a sprinkle of soil on top, keep em moist and voilà!
Too funny.. you were replying to me Bip when I replied to you... I will just do it the same way I do the Marigolds in the starter pots. The package says a year till bloom... never had to wait that long. So exciting.... haha
What a lovely gift to get and they will give you years of pleasure if you allow them to self seed. I have a few different types of Aquilegia/Columbine in the garden. I've never done anything special with the ones I've planted. The batch I planted early this year went into a pot in a cold greenhouse and were watered sparingly as they don't like to be waterlogged. They can take quite a while to germinate - anything from 30 to 90 days depending on the temperature. When the seedlings were a few inches tall I took the pot outside. Now they have flowered and are setting seed. They prefer partial shade if planted outdoors in the garden. Here are the ones I planted this year.
Thanks Eileen, I have compost with manure, I switched to it this season and I like it way better then the stuff I tried last year. So glad you posted a picture. They look great and if I just let a couple grow in a big pot they will reseed, no need to deadhead like marigolds? I just am new to perinneals. This is almost like an experiment for me.
Since you are in south Florida I am not sure you get enough cold weather or if your variety of columbine needs stratification. You might want to read this and maybe do a little web surfing.http://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-columbine-seeds-germinate-25305.html. Maybe someone from your region could give you better information.
Wow Jewell thanks for the info. The article said they are kinda complicated to germinate. I reread the back of the seed pack and it says zones like 4 to 8, I'm 9 so it may not work, but I'm down with trying. So I have a plan. Here's what I'm going to do. Stick the whole pack of seeds in the fridge until September and then I'm going to plant in a pot. And let it go through fall and winter (hey it gets down into the 30s sometimes)....... And cross my fingers
Sounds like you're up for the challenge! Might as well give it a try. You've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
Yeah I'm ready This projects going to take awhile. I think I found the perfect spot for the pot too. Its the least hotest spot on my patio.
