Next year, but they will self sow after that and you'll always have them or their progeny (future seedlings will vary in flower color from the parents)

columbine dont bloom first year and they take along time to germinate. started some indoors took about a month to germinate.

I have winter sown them and have had good germination. No blooms first year.

Two to three years for me.

Mine were spectacular second year. So worth the wait.

Hi Hollywog,

Wintersowing is great, but it does have its drawbacks....exm. first year blooming plants. I too wintersow, but do alot of indoor sowing as well...this will let me have plants at different stages.

Last winter I started columbines indoors in Jan., and yes some did bloom the first summer....but when you wintersow them, they just won't have the time to get any maturity on them. In fact I was surprised with the blooms I did receive off of them. The two varities that bloomed for me were Mrs. Scott Elliots and Crystal Star. I also had A. alpinum, which did not bloom...but as expected...it was a much slower growing plant compared to the 'domesticated' versions.

But, as others have said....they are worth the wait....most perennials that are able to bloom first year....are 'meekly' flowering individuals....the real show is yet to come!!

Good luck
michele

"...they take a long time to germinate."

Mine took 10 days to germinate using the Deno method.

The named varieties of A. vulgaris should germinate quickly, but the plain species really takes its time and is hard to germinate. Maybe that accounts for why some people found it easy to germinate and others not.

A. Caerulea

I sowed them this year (2009) in January indoor and under a grow light. Now that it's Febryary 4th I have the seedlings with the first true leaf. I really hope I can get them to bloom the first year. But of course I will keep my plants in a pot with other perennials and annuals and that means it will not be the only show in my front porch!