Asked on Jun 09, 2015

Columbine

Deborah
by Deborah
Why does my columbine have so few flowers? Last year it had a lot more
  5 answers
  • Vicki O Vicki O on Jun 09, 2015
    they are a biannual. Grow from seed one year. Bloom the next, so you need more pots to spread the love!
  • Time With Thea Time With Thea on Jun 09, 2015
    I was told that columbine's do not bloom very well if they grew from self seeding. It is best to split the perennial to create new plants. @Vicki O also makes a very good point. I stopped growing them because I was disappointed in the blooms the following year.
  • Tug503436 Tug503436 on Jun 09, 2015
    Mine came from plants come back every year with lots of blooms i would either plant outdoors or device plant looks like it has outgrown the pot
  • Joyce Hochsprung Joyce Hochsprung on Jun 10, 2015
    Columbine is a short lived perennial often lasting 3-4 years. Deadheading most of the spent blooms may result in a longer life as the plant is not expending so much energy into seed production. Self seeded plants will bloom just fine but if the parent plants are hybrids the offspring are unlikely to look the same as the parent. It's possible that they need more root space, ideally they would be in the ground. Have you fed them? They've used up any nutrients that were in the potting soil and have no way of getting more unless you feed them.
  • Laura H Laura H on Jun 10, 2015
    I think a good fertilizer would work. For promoting good flower production, look for a middle number that is higher than the first. Otherwise, your plants will be stimulated to put out lots of nice green foliage, likely at the expense of flower production.