How many degrees below zero can columbine tolerate? Detailed guide to growing methods and precautions
In late September, as autumn deepens, it is the best time to care for cold-hardy ornamental flowers. Among them, the "columbine," deeply loved by northerners, is the first choice. It not only has high ornamental value and easily fills out a pot with blooms, but is also not difficult to care for, making it suitable for beginners to buy and grow.
"Columbine," also known by the alias cat's claw flower, belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and is a perennial herbaceous plant. It can be grown as a potted plant or used as a cut flower. If you buy it from a flower market as a cut flower, after bringing it home, unpack it, remove the protective netting from the columbine, then cut the base at an angle and place it in deep water to revive for about 4 hours. After reviving, remove excess leaves, keeping only 1-2 ornamental leaves. Then take a nice-looking vase, add about 5 cm of water, and grow it in shallow water. At this point, if conditions allow, you can add preservative or 84 disinfectant, which can reduce bacterial growth. Finally, using a spiral technique, gather the flowers in your hand. The flower heads do not need to be aligned; let them have a staggered up-and-down feel before placing them in the vase. This way, the arrangement will look better. Then cut the base at an angle according to the height of the vase. For subsequent water changes, change the water every 2-3 days, keep the room ventilated, and let it receive plenty of sunlight.
Columbine flowers are star-shaped, and from a distance look like flying little birds, so after blooming they have an ethereal beauty. If you want to extend the flowering period a bit longer, you can choose potted cultivation. When caring for columbine at home day to day, it fears heat, so you can place it in a relatively cool space. As it grows, it is fairly shade-tolerant and not tolerant of strong light. It is best cared for in late autumn and winter. It can tolerate cold down to minus 30 degrees, so even outdoor planting in the north is completely fine. As for watering, just follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet" - water when the soil is dry, and do not water when it is not dry. As for fertilizer, apply light fertilizer frequently in spring and autumn; doing so will make the blooms more abundant.
How does columbine get through summer? In summer, pay more attention to the ventilation of the surrounding environment, and also pay attention to the spent flowers on the plant. If there are any, cut them off promptly. Only in this way can the plant be ensured enough nutrients to safely get through summer.