Can some one tell me something about these columbines and balloon ? I don't know very much about these flowers

The link for the columbine is here , http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/store... , its practically the only columbine that blooms in summer, but does it actually bloom in the summer time? i don't get what exacly it is saying about planting them in spring or in fall. How and when should i plant them if i want them to bloom in the summer?



And the balloon flower is here, http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/store... , i have two questions, will this bloom the first year it is sown, and should i sow it inside 6 weeks before planting?



thanks, and i live in zone 5 ontario canada.

Can some one tell me something about these columbines and balloon ? I don't know very much about these flowers
first of all any of the columbine plants that i have bloom twice during the year the plants bloom early like in the begining of May and kind of die down then they start getting new growth about this time of year and start blooming again and I have atleast 5 different kinds of columbine's and the all bloom twice. As for the baloon plant with it blooming the first year I would think it depends on how long the plant has been growning I know alot of the green houses start planting seeds in february for different kinds of plants so if the plant is mature enough I would think it would bloom and most seed packets say if it will bloom the first or the second season it kinds of sound like you are looking for plants for a little bit more shade you should try "dead nettle" or lamina this is a lowgrowing perrennial with beautiful leaves mostly tri colored leaves and depending on the plant it blooms little clumps of purple,pink or white flowers it is atractive all season and I have had it blooming it my yard up to december because it does fair well in the cooler weather its one of my favorites and I have 5 different kinds I live in Montana Zone 4-good luck
Reply:I live in NH which isn't that many miles away. The columbine I have flowers in late April/early June. The flowers will go to seed and self seed themselves. I believe what the add is saying is if you plant the seeds in the fall, you should have flowers/ plants the next spring/summer. If you plant the seeds in the early spring they should grow and flower for fall. Your seasons are about a month or more behind me. Hence the difference in planting/flowering time. Often times it takes a plant 2 seasons to mature and flower. Summer to Summer would be 2 seasons. I have bought Columbine bulbs/plants and some did and some didn't flower the first season. If you do get a plant the first season, mulch it in the fall to protect it from our winter weather. Once a Columbine is established it should grow and flower every year. I guess to answer your question about the seeds,planting in either spring or summer should produce flowers the following year not necessarily the same year.