SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Sprout Time:
Irregular germination often over 1-2 months
Starting Indoors:
Sow indoors 8-12 weeks before setting outdoors after frost. Cover seed with a humdidity dome or a light sprinkling of vermiculite and keep at 68F.
Starting Outdoors:
Sow early to late spring, or in late summer.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Columbine 'Calimero' attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds; its spring bloom makes it valuable as an early-season nectar source. It is also deer and rabbit resistant and grows well in the dappled sun of woodland edges and sunnier rock gardens. It is a small delight, perhaps best in containers, where the plum and soft yellow dangling blooms can be appreciated up close. Cut flower stalks after bloom to encourage a rebloom. In their first year of growth, perennials bulk up roots and foliage, blooming more abundantly starting the second year. Caution: contains some toxic elements especially in the roots and foliage.
Watering Details:
Plants are somewhat drought tolerant but do best with evenly moist soil; about 1" of water per week, more in full sun.
Soil pH:
Prefers slightly acidic to neutral pH levels.
Fertilizer:
Mix in a couple of inches of compost annually.
Diseases & Pests:
A common pest of columbines, leaf miners damage leaves by chewing tunnels in the leaves. At first indication of damage, pick off the affected leaves and destroy or use sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis, a biological, to combat.
When to Cut for Bouquets:
Harvest when 1/2 of the florets are open.