Treat yourself to varieties of blooming columbines

Columbines are blooming and enticing hummingbirds and butterflies, a sure sign that summer is almost here.

If you don’t grow columbines, treat yourself and add a few to your garden. You can choose plants in almost any color combination and size.

One of my favorites is our own dainty native red and yellow columbine, Aquilegia formosa. It is pollinated almost exclusively by hummingbirds, because they can reach into the spur to extract and enjoy the nectar. Native red columbine species are limited to North America, according to Robert Nold, author of “Columbines.” Enough of a reason, perhaps, for hummingbirds to prefer our continent, too.

In other parts of the world, blue is the most predominant columbine color. Our native blues are limited to higher elevations. The state flower of Colorado, for example, is the blue columbine, Aquilegia coerulea, which grows mostly in wooded areas, where it reaches about 36 inches. Above timberline there is a dwarf version.

While there’s not much overlap of columbine species in the wild, in our gardens we can indulge ourselves and grow all sorts of varieties. The blue and white dwarf columbine, aquilegia flabellate, native to Japan, is always one of the first to bloom in my garden. A white version is equally early and charming.

The taller columbines take a little longer to start blooming, so I usually buy a plant or two to fill in until the whole garden literally dances with delicate blossoms. This year I treated myself to aquilegia chrysantha “Yellow Queen,” with large, beautiful golden yellow flowers.

I also bought a clematis-flowered columbine, aquilegia “Clematiflora,” that I’m pretty sure was mislabeled. It looks nothing like the picture — a miniature, double clematis without spurs. Instead it has short, hooked spurs and a pale blue, double hoop petticoat flower that looks like part of a ball gown. A new dancer for the garden.

Columbines hybridize readily, and it’s fun to see what a new seedling looks like. I’ve learned to wait until I see the flower before pulling out seedlings, since pleasant surprises in both flower shape and color are a treat.

Well-known garden hybrids like “McKana’s Giant” have been carefully bred to produce stable seeds, so that we can plant them and actually get the flowers shown on the packet. They’ll even produce progeny that look like the original. For a while, at least. If they’re isolated. It’s fun to let them meet and produce surprises, though.

Gardening tips

 It’s safe to plant those tender annuals like basil, marigolds and zinnias. Keep a sheet for a quick cover just in case.

 Sow warm-season vegetables like beans. Successive plantings prolong the harvest.

 Plant extra tomatoes, zucchini, and more to donate to the food bank.

 Fertilize spring bulbs as they finish blooming and plant summer bulbs like gladiolus.

 Deadhead early-blooming perennials and pinch back chrysanthemums and asters to make them bushier and more compact.

 Divide and replant perennials that need rejuvenation.

 Plant containers (with drainage holes) or hanging baskets. Keep containers well-watered and fertilize the plants every other week with a weak fertilizer solution.

 Control weeds before they go to seed. Mulching controls weeds and conserves water.

 Prune early-flowering trees and shrubs like forsythia, quince, and lilacs after they’re finished blooming. Cut out dead or broken branches, and up to one-third of the stalks.

 Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons with an acid-based fertilizer as they finish blooming.

 Watch for evidence of root weevils, which do their work at night eating notches out of leaves. Orthene spray is the best control. Read the label and follow the instructions carefully.

 Weeds in the lawn? Keep weed and feed products away from trees and shrubs.

 When mowing or trimming around trees, avoid nicking the bark, and providing openings for pest and diseases. Nicks can also kill the tree if they girdle the trunk.

 Check for aphids, especially on roses. Symptoms include distorted new growth and sticky honeydew or sooty mold on the leaves. Washing foliage with a strong spray of water is often enough to control the problem.

 To encourage healthy, deep root growth in your lawn, water deeply once or twice a week.

If your soil is very sandy, you’ll need to water more frequently, but with less water. Lawns need about an inch of water per week.