flowering during late may and june in Michigan is a delicate flower named columbine. the plant is available in a wide range of colors. after flowering, the flowering stems dry into pods with seeds, and the plant readily seeds itself in the garden bed. i grow a variety of colors of columbine in a partly shaded bed of my garden, and i have found they require very little care.
although most columbine only last about three or four years, i find this plant to be very attractive. each year, i look forward to seeing my columbine emerge in the garden. i think of columbine as an old garden type of plant, something that my grandmother might have grown decades ago. it has that look of an old-fashioned flower. columbine grow about 12 to 18 inches tall and some years have required staking, especially after a hard rain.
many gardening catalogs feature a variety of these plants, with just about every color represented. i would recommend not planting columbine in a location with hot afternoon sun.
i hope you consider this lovely old-fashioned plant for your garden this year.
angel food garden 