Do you think back when you were a lilliputian fry ? mommy ’s cosmos and zinnias seemed to be more than 6 foot tall ? Those Larkspur ’s and aster towered over the top of your pass , and fragrant roses where at olfactory organ level ? Those were all groovy , but there was something charming about the delicate drop blossoms of Columbine , which hung just at eye - height . Well , then you were only about 3 feet in high spirits yourself , but just tall enough that you could peer late inside those retentive spurs of Columbine , the trump of daylilies and colossus , papery bloom of Oriental Poppies with their abstruse , pitch-black chief of stamens ( and usually with a surprise humblebee bumbling around inside ) – nostalgia in the garden , the charm of these vintage flowers is often lost to the more advanced of us – experienced gardeners who generally repel those plant that are often sturdy survivors . Denizens of abandoned or sick - kempt repeated borders . plant life for the lazy gardener . The amateur , and not as ‘ hip ’ or stylish as a ‘ Patty ’s Plum ’ Papaver or a ‘ Nora Barlow ’ aquilege .
But sometimes I care to challenge the elitist not - so - deep inside me , for I am man enough to admit that although I may get heirloom leeks and poach them with a homemade mustard vinaigrette , I still can apprise a full eggs McMuffin ( with Canadian Bacon , not sausage – come on ) . And so it goes with my gardening — I do raise rare South African bulb from seed , and high alpine narcissus from Morocco , but I also love to indulge in tall , golden marigold and ruby-red geraniums ( within reason , of course ) , and even though a intercrossed columbine mixture may seem like an alien perennial to many new gardeners , to those of us who spend hours trying to track down rarefied Podophylum , it is something that usually gets back - listed in party favor of endangered primrose seed from the Himalaya .
But remember – epic Egg McMuffins , child .
Epic .
Sometimes dim-witted , common — even intercrossed , is OK .
It can even be … .awesome .
Meet the ‘ Song Bird ’ series of columbine , a genus with many hybrids , selection , strains and species , mostly short - live garden perennials that we seem to find self - seed in precious spots around the garden , but seldom where we want them to grow . This strain , bred in the 1980 ’s and 1990 ’s and now find out its way into the swap tardily , is best when grown from seminal fluid yourself , not just because you could get a large , cost - effective colony of typically costly plants , you could get all the colors from the strain , not just the one or two that commercial-grade propagation nursery are focusing on right now ( mostly the award win white selection shout ‘ Dove ’ ) . If you are like me , and ca n’t make up your mind about color , then this mix is for you – got ta get them all !
impart to mighty – Songbird ‘ Dove , ( white ) Songbird ‘ Bluebird ’ ( lavender ) , Songbird ‘ Bunting ’ ( reddish blue ) , Songbird ‘ Robin ’ ( pale pink ) , Songbird ‘ Fringilla coelebs ’ ( mauve – only available from European purchased seed ) , and Songbird ‘ Nightingale ’ ( red - violet ) .
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