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Garden journal entry |
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| May 15, 2012. Columbines are marvellously promiscuous. Through the years, I've grown numerous species, along with some named varieties of common columbine, and most likely some hybrids. Their volunteer offspring is always welcome, and for the most part the results are predictable: the majority of seedlings turn out to be Nora Barlow-type doubles in shades of plum or purple, or in a white/pink bicolor. Sometimes, we're charmed by a more traditionally shaped bicolor. But every so often, something really surprising shows up. So it was this spring, when the plant in this photo turned up (uninvited, but oh so welcome) at the front of our driveway bed. It's not exactly like any variety we've grown, although if I had to guess at its ancestry I'd include our purple Nora Barlow and the curiously shaped 'Cap de Rositier' as parents. Regardless of how it came to be, I'm wowed by the neat arrangement of the petals, as well as the quite subtle two-tone purple coloration. I'd be delighted if this one decides to produce look-alike children! |
Last modified:
September 09, 2009
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