• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Finished with Frilly Flower Phase

May 3, 2012 By Carol Michel 9 Comments

I think I’m finally finished with the frilly flower phase of my gardening life.

I realized it when I walked through the garden yesterday evening checking out all the columbine (Aquilegia) blooms.

Most of the columbine in my garden sure are frilly.  Foo-foo, even.  Not quite like me, that’s for sure.

They have self-sown a bit around the garden so they come up here and there with some variation in their frilly flower colors.  I just let them grow where they sow themselves. 

I have Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Tower Pink’ growing back by the compost bins.

It’s a volunteer seedling that showed up a couple of years ago and I just let it grow there.  This spring it even survived the complete makeover of the Vegetable Garden Cathedral.

I also have ‘Black Barlow’ blooming in Plopper’s Field.

I plopped it there a while back and forgot about it. It’s hard to miss now, especially in bloom.

Elsewhere ‘Tower Blue’ is blooming, too.

This one came up in a hosta bed that doesn’t have a name yet.

“What,” you say. There’s a garden area in Carol’s garden that doesn’t have a name yet? Don’t pressure me. I’ll name it in due time. I might name it Hellebore Haven right now because it is also where the Helleborus are planted. We’ll see. No rush.

I’m now on the look out for single-flowering columbine, mostly to plant along Ridgewood Avenue, the path that divides Woodland Follies from August Dreams Garden. (Yes, those areas of the garden are named.) I bought a few last year, but they struggled a bit in the drought. I need a lot more.

I won’t be getting rid of these columbines with frilly flowers. After all, they really are old varieties, heirloom even, not like some of those new-fangled frilly flowers that have just started showing up in garden centers. I don’t as a rule buy those.  I just want more single-flowering, plain columbine for my garden.  Preferably yellow.

I’ve added them to my shopping list which grows longer every day. Look out garden centers, here I come.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: perennials

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karin / Southern Meadows says

    May 3, 2012 at 10:28 am

    Love your garden names. Sometimes it takes time for just the right name to present itself. I have columbine that has reseeded itself in my garden and I love that they grown in unexpected places.

    Reply
  2. Layanee says

    May 3, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    But they are pretty and unexpected, easy care frills. Enjoy them. I see you as a coneflower woman.

    Reply
  3. Carolee says

    May 3, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    I've got a gazillion yellow single ones….they're fragrant, too! Would be glad to share. Sorry I'll miss your talk at GWA regional…I'll be at the Floriade in the Netherlands & the Keukenhoff!

    Reply
  4. Earth Girl says

    May 3, 2012 at 3:41 pm

    Carol, the Indiana native columbine is beautiful, but grows best in moist ground. And it's yellow!

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    May 3, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    Carol, single yellow columbines is almost about all we can grow here in hot Austin. I'm sure your garden buddies here could send you a few Hinkley's Gold columbine, very drought tolerant, with a lovely long tail. And I for one am envious of your frilly columbines!

    Reply
  6. ProfessorRoush says

    May 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    I allow them to self-seed as well, but select for blues and purples. Black Barlow is a good one, really a deep purple, but it is the blue ones like your volunteer that really make me swoon.

    Reply
  7. DJ at Meander Mountain says

    May 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    I dearly love the native, orangy-red and yellow columbine. It's very quirky and delicate (but not so much frilly, imho.) It appears in unexpected places throughout the garden. If my plants have set seed by then, I'll bring some to the May bloggers' fling if you want them.

    Reply
  8. Hallerlake says

    May 4, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    The one problem with being a good mulcher is one doesn't get the good volunteers. I have to actually collect seeds heads and start them in flats.

    That Blue Tower is to die for.

    Deirdre

    Reply
  9. VW says

    May 12, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    You may not be a frilly woman, but our gardens don't have to reflect ourselves exactly. Good thing, or mine would look tired all the time from chasing after 4 little kids that all belong to me, somehow 😉 Personally I love flowers with lots of petals and ruffles. Maybe because I keep my interior decorating tranquil and my clothes simple, so it's fun to be extravagent in color and shape in the garden. Good luck finding your cheerful yellow columbine!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT