These as well. If you can see them, there are some white ones at the bottom right which look to be the same kind of flower?

These I absolutely love because they're so unusual.

Top is coral bells (Heuchera), middle Pinks (Dianthus), and bottom a Columbine cultivar (Aquilegia).

Middle is a Dianthus but it is D barbatus - Sweet William.

The Heuchera in top photo and the Aquilegia in the bottom photo both grow in part shade. That Aquilegia should have all the bad foliage cut off it, thrown away and the plant allowed to recover and put out new foliage before it is moved. OR, move it as is, then allow it to establish itself in the garden and trim off the bad foliage later. My preference would be to trim it now, move it in the fall when temperatures are lower and it is not in bloom. That way you won't take a chance of moving the leaf miners that are in those leaves to your own garden.

That was so fast, thank you! I'm dying for some heuchera and was hoping those were it.

This post was edited by jwhittin on Sun, Jun 22, 14 at 7:47

I haven't grown Sweet William, the plant in the middle photo. But the Heuchera and Aquilegia should be happy in morning sun only. The Heuchera looks large enough that when I moved it, I would try dividing it in two, but I can't advise you on best way to divide it. Post another thread asking for that information. The Aquilegia I explained above.

For me, I use the rule of thumb, that I move things around in the cooler part of the season, either spring or fall. I also try not to move them when they are in bloom. I've always had success in that regard and plants have not suffered at all in the process. You can move them now, but if you suddenly get a few 90 degree days, they will struggle and perhaps suffer. If you have to move them now and can't wait for fall. I would watch the weather and try to do it when there isn't a heat wave forecast, take a large root ball with the plants, cut off any blooms, water it well and make sure it doesn't dry out, and shade it with something like a milk crate or a lawn chair, etc.

The Aquliegia normally would form seeds and drop them and you should get a fair amount of seedlings, that won't always look like the mother plant. But if you are moving it and cutting off foliage, I would also cut off the flowers and you won't get reseeding until it's been in your garden an entire season. You can also collect the seed and sow them yourself.

Good luck! :-)

This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Sun, Jun 22, 14 at 7:55

Ooh leaf miners... Sounds ominous. I guess that's what those tunnel like spots in the leaves are. I will plan to take some cuttings in the fall with care to avoid the leaf miners.

Leaf miners are really the least problematic of garden bugs I have had to deal with. The only issue at all is the disfiguring look on the leaves of those tunnels they make. And I've found Columbine plants rebound amazingly well, when I have removed the effected leaves. I've even removed all the leaves except for a couple of central new leaves just coming in and the plant would cover itself with pretty new foliage and look good the rest of the season. I have never actually seen the bug. This year I've noticed I have much fewer problem leaves on my Columbine. Of course, you do have to dispose of the leaves in the trash.

I've never heard of taking cuttings from a columbine. Either take the whole plant or the seed heads when they are mature [brown & rattling around inside the pods] and start your plants from seeds. You might be able to divide them, but I haven't tried that.

Prairiemoon'2's right - Aquilegias are propagated by seed or division, not cuttings. However, I would put leaves with miners in the compost with no worries. If the leaves die the miners will die too.

Hi Floral, will the leaf miners die in a passive compost pile that doesn't heat up? We just collect yard debris in a pile and don't turn the pile, so I always thought I had to be careful about pests or diseased plants that might not be neutralized in that environment?

Your Dianthus will need a sunny spot.

Prairie,

I would say the reason your leaves aren't 'mined' as much this year is that the winter killed the miners off.

Linda

Linda, thanks for that info. After that long cold winter, I'd be glad for it to be beneficial in some way. :-)

I also do no turn cold composting and would have no worries about the miners. They aren't so much killed by the compost but since they are inside the leaves and the leaves die when removed from the plant they are helpless. They're stuck there and starve. I stick everything in the compost except bindweed roots and tomatoes with blight.