Re: plant combo suggestions...

**M* H* <m*@mac.com>**

I don't know what variety of columbine you have, but I grew several  
Aquilegia species and some hybrids when I lived in Minneapolis (zone  
4). About mid-July, when the major bloom sequence is winding down, I  
cut them all the way to the ground. The leaf miner was beyond the egg- 
laying cycle by that time and the resulting new mounds of lovely  
foliage were basically untouched the rest of the season. In your  
situation, I'd look for something that would flower later in the  
season and, since these late mounds are not as tall as the spring  
foliage, what about dwarf asters like Purple Dome?

I now grow A. chrysantha (~3') alongside bearded iris since I can (no  
iris borer here) in the Tacoma, WA area. The leaf miner seems not to  
be active here, but I still cut them back as they get somewhat ratty  
looking in late summer. I wouldn't be without their yellow flowers  
looking like butterflies among the cobalt blue iris in late spring.

Mary Henry
University Place, WA

On Oct 17, 2008, at 2:15 PM, gardenwriters-request@lists.ibiblio.org  
wrote:
> From: "C.L. Fornari" <clfornari@mail.com>
> Date: October 17, 2008 12:22:47 PM PDT
> To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum" <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org 
> >
> Subject: [GWL] plant combo suggestions, please
> Reply-To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org 
> >
>
>
> Dear All,
> My dear husband loves Columbines, and I do not. I would appreciate  
> them more if they didn't look ratty and disfigured with Columbine  
> Leafminer from mid-July on, but there you have it. Last spring when  
> I was ordering seeds for the things I DO like, he asked me to order  
> Aquilegia. Since he pretty much defers to me when it comes to other  
> plant choices and garden design (and I'm annoyingly picky, I admit)  
> I went ahead and ordered them, hoping that they wouldn't germinate.  
> They did.  Every one.
>
> I now have two large areas of assorted Columbines and I want to  
> interplant these areas with something that won't overwhelm the  
> little suckers but at the same time might draw the eye from the  
> leafminer damage and generally look splendid later in the season.   
> Any suggestions?
>
> with thanks,
> C.L.
> C.L. Fornari
> www.gardenlady.com
> blog: www.wholelifegardening.com

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