Aquilegia viridiflora (Chocolate Soldiers)

rolanda.woo

Mine was planted in early July. No flower this year. But the plant has expanded in size. We had a very wet August. The outer leaves started turning yellow and brown. Some of them a bit purple. I wonder if the wet weather has caused this. But strangely all stems seem green and healthy, despite the unhealthy leaves. Or maybe it's time for the plant to downsize before the frost comes?

On the other hand, the other Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ('Nora Barlow') next to it also has developed similar purplish colour on the leaves.

Would appreciate if anyone has experience with this type of plant.

Fairygirl

Perfectly normal for the time of year. 
You can cut back the foliage and they'll make fresh new stuff, but that's generally better done a bit earlier in the year. Usually, it would be after flowering, as the plants can get a bit rough and mildew-y at that stage, and there's time for new foliage to appear for the rest of the summer. 
As your new plant hasn't yet flowered - it's just getting established - it's best just to let it die back for winter. The other one [N. Barlow] could probably be cut back if you wanted. They're very resilient, but either method is ok. 

rolanda.woo

Fairygirl said:

Perfectly normal for the time of year. 
You can cut back the foliage and they'll make fresh new stuff, but that's generally better done a bit earlier in the year. Usually, it would be after flowering, as the plants can get a bit rough and mildew-y at that stage, and there's time for new foliage to appear for the rest of the summer. 
As your new plant hasn't yet flowered - it's just getting established - it's best just to let it die back for winter. The other one [N. Barlow] could probably be cut back if you wanted. They're very resilient, but either method is ok. 

@[email protected], thank you again for the informative tips. It's sad they are all going to disappear soon though. Not much will be left for winter...

Fairygirl

Indeed. It's why I use plenty of evergreens too, and then early bulbs. Too much bare soil to look at , for far too long, if I didn't  
You'll also find they'll seed around if you have the right conditions. I have gravel in the back garden, and I find little seedlings regularly. If you pot them up, it'll give you more plants, although they don't always come true to the parent.  
A good way to have some colour, if you don't already do it, is to have some pots near the house with various plants that have good foliage etc. It just gives a bit of interest during that tricky, transitional period. 

Buttercupdays

rolanda.woo

Funnily enough I quite like the winter bareness!

It needn't last long, even here,, with evergreens, berries and attractive seed heads to look at, as well as tree silhouettes. It's the only time that my garden gets the chance to look remotely tidy, as the rest of the year I'm frantically chasing my tail to keep up

Right after (whisper it!) Christmas you can see signs of growth and flower buds on Hellebores and snowdrops and then every day brings something new.

Fairygirl

The 'C word' @Buttercupdays - how very dare you !    
The niger Hellebores are good here from around November. I kept one in a pot last year which was great among other pots of mainly foliage.
Snowdrops are February for us, but it's lovely seeing the new growth of those bulbs coming through. 

rolanda.woo

@Fairygirl, my neighbour has one of those winter roses. I remember it was very pretty and elegant when it bloomed last year. Even just the foliage itself is worth admiring because of their shapes. She has lots of really beautiful (exotic) plants all year round. I do envy to get hold some myself, but my pride holds me back (wanting to find some of my own to impress her one day!)

@Buttercupdays, I just started this spring. So the whole garden is still quite bare after I've been keeping myself busy through the spring/summer.  Big learning curve. Especially I'm a bit OCD in research before planting anything. Where/when/how/soil/light/height in future. Really stressful! On top of the never-ending-war against the slugs/snails. Now I have squirrels going crazy by digging every inch of bare layer of compost (I used the compost as mulch for no-dig method), while I have a whole box of bulbs to plant...  So basically, it would take me a few years before I could really enjoy more mature plants of evergreen foliage hanging around after frost. 

I want to get a small tree too, but am terrified if it grows out of control in my very very small/narrow garden like all those trees (from previous owner of our house) I just paid a fortune to cut down this spring...