Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Garden Tuesday – Columbine

Columbine

Got shade?  Then you need columbine.  It is such a pretty and delicate plant.  The leaves almost look like a big clover plant and then these long delicate stalks of flowers shoot up in mid spring.

Seed pods

See these, these are the seed pods.  It is so easy to collect columbine seeds.  As soon as these pods dry and turn brown, but before they split open, I will snip them off.  Then I will place them in a baggie and dutifully label them and store them someplace for the winter, where I will never, ever find them again.  I expect that when I clean out the garage this summer, I will find 327 pounds of columbine seeds.

17 comments:

Julie said...

Beautiful photo!

Kathy said...

That is so funny. I do the same thing. Yesterday I found 5 envelopes with seeds in them from flowers at my neighbor's house a few years ago. I forgot all about them. I also have Columbine growing in a garden which gets mostly shade. They are beautiful and pop up every year. Mine are an orange color.

Big Dude said...

Bev grows them in her woods garden and we like them.

Kim said...

They are very pretty Pam! I'm like you, I would collect the seeds and put them in a "special place" where I would never find them-LOL.

Pam said...

Lovely.

Marjie said...

And then you will be able to open the Columbine Seed Store on the internet!

Kris said...

Lovely photos!

From the Kitchen said...

I love the delicate beauty of columbine. I grew up just off the Blue Ridge Parkway where columbine grows in wild profusion! I miss it.

Best,
Bonnie

Lea Ann said...

Columbine is the Colorado State Flower and I've had a hard time growing it. I must have had it in the sun.

All Our Fingers in the Pie said...

I didn't realize they were a shade plant. That has been my problem. My new house has 2 on the back fence. I'll see how they do.

Cinnamon-Girl said...

These are very pretty!

Betsy from Tennessee said...

Hi Pam, The Columbine is gorgeous. We have alot of shade up here --so we need to try that.
Hugs,
Betsy

a good yarn said...

But of course!

charlie girl said...

so funny, they are like weeds in my yard now, I planted one packet of seeds years back, now they are everywhere, and also all the same color a pale purple and white....and they are everywhere!!! (but I still love their graceful stems and fragile looking flowers no matter where they grow.)

Joanne said...

My parents are the same way with basil seeds! We would pick them off the plant every year. And then the next year. We would buy a new plant.

Beautiful pictures!

Carolina said...

LOL

This is a very pretty and delicate looking one. I didn't realise they are called Columbine in English. We call them Akelei (Aguilegia turned into Dutch). I have some with very dense, filled flowers (reddish pink) and 'ordinary' blue ones that do very well in the sun too.

Another good shade tolerant one is Epimedium.
In Dutch we call it Elfenbloem (Fairy flower).

Les said...

Then I will place them in a baggie and dutifully label them and store them someplace for the winter, where I will never, ever find them again. I expect that when I clean out the garage this summer, I will find 327 pounds of columbine seeds.

Honestly, you write some of the most humorous posts! You really should write a book, Pam! I was laughing so hard, my husband came into my office to see what was so funny. He agrees. Thanks for the laughs. :)