Columbine can be very slow and irregular to germinate. I'd hold on to them a while longer. Then if no sprouts, dump the soil where you want columbine- some might sprout there.

Karen

It's too soon to give up on them--they take a long time to sprout. I've got a few different ones WS - also from trades - and they're just beginning to sprout. They're worth waiting for--the ones I WS last year are gorgeous this year.

Out of my 5 containers of different Columbines, only 3 have sprouts so far. Just 1 or 2 sprouts in each. I expect more sprouts to come along. Columbine can be slow to germinate and they don't all sprout at once. I think it's too early to give up. If there aren't more sprouts then I'll be disappointed - they are 'Origami' seeds from Swallowtail and weren't cheap and there aren't that many of them.

Agnes, Hang on to those columbine seeds and don't give up. All of mine germinated this year, found the last 3 containers just up today.

But here's the real reason to hang on to them. I had 4 containers that didn't germinate last year and just held onto them over the summer. Never got around to dumping the containers last fall in the "dump bed", so they spent the winter in the original WS containers from last year.

Low and behold they germinated this year. Found them today, and I was sure surprised.

Fran

I was beginning to give up on mine too, and just discovered little sprouts today.

I third the motion, I got a tray full of 'Red Hobbit and Bieder Mix'. Not one single sprout. I even put compost on them. I got 3 sprouts out of the McKanna container.

I was about to dump the soil. I'll hang on til next season.

We could form a club!!

Germinating under lights DEFINITELY does not work!! I failed to make time for WS (I know - duh) this year and tossed some seeds under lights. MANY seeds knew better then to sprout...

Funny/amazing how there's so much more success with WS!

I have noticed quite a few columbine volunteers this year, not in any spots where I had planted. I'm not sure when the seeds were sown. Could have been years ago.

Columbine requires patience.

If you have to wait much longer than normal, do you keep the containers moist all the time? I would imagine yes as you do not know when they would sprout and moisture is needed for them to sprout correct?

Working out in my back garden, yesterday, I found a container of columbines from last year,Yes, with baby plants in it.I thought I had planted them all, but no.
The ones that did get planted are all up, but still very small,some here have had better luck, saying theirs came back big and beautiful , not the case with mine, but at least the came back, I will hope for some pretties next year,yes,keep your containr moist.
Congratulations to all of us.
cAROL

I planted Mrs. Scott Elliot and European columbine seeds this year (my first year WSing). My Mrs. SE sprouted like crazy, and I only have 1 sprout per container for the Europeans. I hope more come up.

I would hang on to those containers. Last year I had one set of Columbine seeds (that I harvested myself) start sprouting on June 1. They then continued to sprout in little bursts throughout the summer. I have started hanging on to things that don't sprout their first year. This spring, I have roses that did not sprout last year, red cardinal flower that did not sprout last year, as well as Pasque flower, also from last year. I just left the containers in my herb bed over the winter, and what a wonderful feeling when I saw those sprouts last week. We can't hurry Mother Nature!!

You do want to make sure that the container doesn't dry out and if it gets hot earlier, you may want to prop open the container open, which means more wanting. You don't want to flood the container as that could wash away the seeds.

But I have several columbine containers that have only just sprouted.

Well I sure hope I get some more sprouts from my Columbine. 5 containers, 18 seeds, 4 sprouts so far.

I was thinking that delayed germination of some seeds could be a survival mechanism that Ma Nature has built into the seeds. If all the seeds from a given year were to sprout, and then growing conditions are poor for that year, all the seedlings could die. This way, some are held back and could germinate later under better conditions.

I was wondering.... These containers that you hang onto... Do you tend to them all year? Water when needed? Or just put em in a shady spot and no worries?

jodie - if the growing medium in the containers dries out, the seeds may not/likely won't germinate so the answer to your question is yes, you'd need to be sure and water them. This year is the polar opposite of last year when we had torrential rains and I actually brought lots of containers inside my garage to dry out--they were sodden/soaked/ drenched. This year I've been setting containers in shallow storage bins to bottom water them because a few have dried out enough they feel light when I pick them up.

This has been a year of extremes it seems. I went from covering my jugs with tarps to prevent rain from again soaking my jugs to now having to water them almost daily. We have gone a week with high temps and no rain. My milk jugs aren't bad but the lasagna pans and fruit clam shells do dry out FAST! I try to plant out 15 containers a day but I have have to do so VERY early am so the sun doesn't beat them up too bad! Thunderstorm on it's way this afternoon so I hope we get some rain. Then back to high 50's low 60's next week so it'll be much better for planting out.

My jugs that haven't sprouted, I may find a shady spot and see what happens next year!!! :P

I don't like to suggest this and they still don't germinate, but if they're something you really want, I'd keep them through one more winter just as they are or move out of the way.

My troubles last spring I don't want to keep repeating, but the upshot is that all my containers that weren't smashed were totally neglected all through the summer and also through the winter, just stashed out of the way helter skelter in anticipation of dumping them and didn't (too many to dump). I am slowly sorting survivors and dumping now.

Two winters ago, I had planted blue star columbine and alpine blue. Two of the alpines have survived, could have germinated that winter or this past winter. Anyway, I've got them in semi-shade, watering and keeping an eye on them until I figure out where to plant them. I'd like them to grow a little bigger first. Two plants isn't much but better than none.

I've only grown columbines from purchased plants before trying the seeds, and my track record is not good. They peter out after about the second year, some because I hate to weed, feed and haul water any more and some because they probably like moist, woodsy conditions.