Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Japanese Fan Columbine

Description:

Beautiful and delicate nodding blue and white flowers, suspended above honey-glazed blue-green foliage; foliage is very rounded and clover-like; this miniature plant is a garden jewel in any part-shade area or rock garden

Ornamental Features

Ministar Columbine has nodding sky blue bell-shaped flowers with white overtones, yellow eyes and blue spurs at the ends of the stems from mid spring to early summer, which are interesting on close inspection. Its attractive ferny compound leaves remain teal in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Ministar Columbine is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Ministar Columbine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ministar Columbine will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 8 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 6 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Ministar Columbine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.