Welcome to North America, Sunshineâ„? You've already swept through Europe gathering awards and praise; now it's time to make your home in sunny to partly shaded gardens across the country!
These double-flowered golden blooms are breathtaking. They are held in the traditional "spurred" form that gives Columbine its botanical name of Aquilegia (Latin for "eagle" and "gathering" -- the blooms resemble an eagle's mighty talons!). These long spurs extend a full 2 inches beyond the blooms, sized just right for a hummingbird's beak and unlike any other flower shape in the garden!
The flowers begin in late spring in most climates and continue into midsummer, a very long season for Columbine but all too short to do justice to the majesty of these flowers! You'll want some for cutting, of course -- they look amazing in the vase -- and then you must have some to feed those hungry hummingbirds and butterflies. Then there's the impact of a large planting in a prominent position in the border . . . The bottom line is, stock up now, because you're never going to look at Sunshineâ„?and feel you're tired of it, not even for a minute!
Winner of the 2010 Fleuroselect Novelty Award in Europe, this plant reaches about 2 feet high and 12 to 15 inches wide, with finely divided, feathery foliage that keeps it attractive even after the flowers pass. A hardy perennial, it survives the severe winter weather of zone 3 and the drought of high summer with equal aplomb, and tends to be left alone by nibbling deer. All it really needs is sunshine and good soil drainage to flourish for years!
Start the seeds in your Bio Dome 6 to 8 weeks before last anticipated frost. (If you're using seed flats, place the seeds on top of the medium so they receive light. In the Bio Dome, they'll germinate either inside the hole in the Bio Sponges or on top.) Time was that you had to wait a year for blooms from Columbine seed, but not anymore! They'll take their time germinating -- a month is about standard -- but once they're up, they're off! You'll enjoy a full crop of these amazing blooms just a few months after sowing the seeds, and the lacy foliage will charm you long past bloomtime. Discover the joy of Columbines from seed with Sunshineâ„?. . . and while you're at it, try the "hose-in-hose" look of Double Pleat Blackberry, not to mention that old favorite, Origami Mix! (It's been our customers' choice for many a season now!) Zones 3-8. Pkt is 20 seeds.
