Songbird Cardinal Columbine

Other Names: Granny's Bonnet, Crowfoot

Group/Class: Songbird Series

Description:

Bold red/white bicolor flowers, long lasting as cutflowers; a great color accent for the garden, does well in partial shade, will naturalize wooded or shaded areas

Ornamental Features:

Songbird Cardinal Columbine features bold nodding red bell-shaped flowers with white overtones, yellow eyes and rose spurs at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It's ferny compound leaves remain bluish-green in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Songbird Cardinal Columbine is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Songbird Cardinal Columbine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Border Edging
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Plant Characteristics:

Songbird Cardinal Columbine will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years.

This perennial performs well in both full sun and full shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.