It is supposed to be better to sow them fresh, but why not do it both ways? One pod has soooo many seeds ...

PV

I just bought some Origami Red & White columbine seeds from burpee. Expensive little devils they were. Should I put them in the freezer? I don't want to take a chance losing them.

I have received lots of columbine seeds in commercial packages (certiainly not fresh) and in trade packs and WS both with good germination. This year for the first time I tried immediately sowing some seed from my favorite columbine (bought as commercial seed years ago - of course this was before WSing and keeping good lists, so I don't know the name..) It has chartruse foliage and beatiful full purple flowers. I sowed the seed last weekend and TODAY saw 2 sprouts! Yipeeeeeee!

Sow some and save some is my advise too. Make sure you dry them really well before you package them to put away for next years WSing.

I guess I will take PVs advice - sow some now and save some for next spring. I'm just a bit paranoid that I will get sprouts now - and then I'll have to figure out what to do with those jugs over winter.

Just as I get rid of my pot ghetto, a new one begins.

You could direct sow some now. Just throw them into the garden in a place you'd like to have columbine. Then see if they sprout. That way, you might be able to avoid the pot ghetto. Though, you'd probably have better germination in a pot with more consistent moisture and protected from the critters. Anyway, good luck with your seeds.

Martha

I have about a dozen cups with Columbine seedlings that are still not planted out. This includes Aquilegia caerulea 'Mixed Colors', Origami Yellow and Pink & White, and McKana's Giants. These were sowed in mid-May, my 2nd batch of Columbine, with plenty of germination.

The slugs almost killed these seedlings, but I moved them up to the deck and the slug attack stopped. I am planning to plant most into flats and grow them larger, then transplant in the early fall. Some will bloom next Spring and some may not, but I've got about 3 dozen plants in the gardens and many of those will come back next year too.

Also have several cups of Foxglove, sowed around the same time, and will do the same with those.

I store all my seeds in a refrigerator drawer. The Aquilegia caerulea seeds were purchased in 2010 and are still germinating well.

I do as Martha suggested: harvest seeds, throw on the ground where you want more plants. Keep them moist. They'll sprout and winter over in place. They're perennial, they won't freeze out in winter.

Karen

Direct sowing most likely won't work for me. I have heavy heavy mulch - about 6" of mulch. Rose campion won't even sprout through my mulch!

FWIW - all the columbine seeds I sowed fresh (last August) sprouted. In fact the plants were growing up and out of the tops of the soda bottles when I finally noticed them this week.

On the other hand, I have zero germination from the seeds I planted in February.

I'll collect seeds again this summer and will sow all fresh.

My first yr W/S'ing...I have 6 jugs of columbine sprouts...seeds obtained from commercial sources so I'd say of "debatable freshness". I sowed them VERY early....back in Dec! They are probably my most robust seedlings! I will try fresh when/if these things flower :)

Pixie lou, great to hear that your Columbine seeds did so well sowing fresh. A good candidate for summer sowing perhaps?

I have lots of native Columbine, just LOVE Aquilegia caerulea (the Rocky Mountain columbine), but sowed only one container this year. It was seed collected from a seedling from A. caerulea 'Mixed Colors' from Everwilde. It was the only pure white plant that I've gotten, and I've got 5 sprouts from it so far! :) Collected last summer and sowed in March.

Columbine can be an erratic sprouter though.