Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Granny's Bonnet, Crowfoot

Group/Class:  Songbird Series

Brand:  PanAmerican Seed

Description:

Lovely violet-blue/white bi-color blooms that are 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 Blue Jay Columbine features bold nodding blue bell-shaped flowers with white overtones and yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its ferny compound leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Songbird Blue Jay 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 plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. 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 Blue Jay Columbine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Songbird Blue Jay Columbine will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity extending to 28 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 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. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average conditions that are neither too wet nor too dry, and is very intolerant of standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.