Columbine questions for Judy
April 30th, 2003 by Kathy Purdy · 1 Comment
So, who was the source for the mystery columbine? And how will I know if it ever gets a “real” name? And if I want to save seed from it, should I get rid of my other columbines? You sell more than one columbine–how do you keep your seed strains pure?
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About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. •
USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural;
Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian
Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level:
intermediate
• Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY
native plants, gardening with/for children
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1 response so far ↓
1
Judy Miller
// May 1, 2003 at 12:25 am
The columbine in question came from Josef Halda from the Czech Republic and you would have to write to him to find out ( I have his address if you like) whether it has gained an official name. Accession numbers are for individual plants so the # in question actually refers to their mother but will have to do until a specific comes along to further identify them. His collections are all wild and the information in his catalog includes year & place collected. As to keeping columbines separate, it is nearly impossible as the bees like them so well. In order to be sure of what I am offering I either only list plants from wild or commercially collected seed by their names, or use ’strain’ to denote a clump kept as solitary as possible. The ‘JJH’ plants are in my gardens so distinct in size & vigor that I have been re-selecting and am growing on some for future years. I too wait for a species name.