I have a beautiful red columbine in a flower bed. I had many
compliments about it during May. It was fine just into June and now
it's leaning over and just looks tired. I've dead-headed it, but am
wondering if it's just done blooming and what do I do with it now?
This is the first one I've had. I bought it last year and it didn't
do anything last year which sounds normal for columbines. What do I
do with it now?
Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

In article . com,
shederr wrote:

I have a beautiful red columbine in a flower bed. I had many
compliments about it during May. It was fine just into June and now
it's leaning over and just looks tired. I've dead-headed it, but am
wondering if it's just done blooming and what do I do with it now?
This is the first one I've had. I bought it last year and it didn't
do anything last year which sounds normal for columbines. What do I
do with it now?
Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Prune it back to something that looks somewhat civilized.
Columbine will get weedy-looking after the peak of bloom.
You won't hurt the plant by pruning it back to something
you can stand to look at.

Jan

shederr wrote:
I have a beautiful red columbine in a flower bed. I had many
compliments about it during May. It was fine just into June and now
it's leaning over and just looks tired. I've dead-headed it, but am
wondering if it's just done blooming and what do I do with it now?
This is the first one I've had. I bought it last year and it didn't
do anything last year which sounds normal for columbines. What do I
do with it now?
Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.


I wouldn't dead head it too completely if you like the plant. Columbines
can be short lived, so you want a couple babies to spring up to replace
the parent plant.

I planted a red columbine 3 years ago along with a blue and yellow one.
By last year the red one was on its last legs and the other two were
gone, but there were some very small plants all around, none of which
flowered.

This year I have a thicket of red columbines in various colors ranging
from pale pink to lavender--they seem to have hybridized-- and the total
effect is dazzling.