Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought it was only possible to get different colors (other than the parents) if you have several different colors. Since I only have 1 color I'm confused what they would have crossed with to produce such a plant.

Columbines can have recessive genes (different colors) that show up when new seeds are produced. Many will revert back to the wild red color. It's basic genetics...hard to explain here.

It depends on the plant :-) If it is something like the McKana hybrids, then the color of the offspring could be all over the board. It sounds like your friend's plant may have crossed with some other variety or species (they will all cross pollinate and reproduce, as floral mentioned) and the resulting offspring is a different color from the parent. Or did you mean that yours started dark purple and is now red?

I gave up trying to grow named forms of columbine years ago. They'd last a year or two and then all manner of bastard offspring with so-so coloring would pop up in their place. The only one I grow now is our native species, A. formosa, which comes true from seed. And there are no other columbines nearby for it to cross with. (and I like the coloring of this one best anyway...and so do the hummers :-))

Yes I know what recessive traits are. I just wasn't aware that columbines reverted so easily. I'm just surprised that even the original plants that I planted didn't return purple (unless they died and I only have seedlings now). Just out of curiousity, do these plants reproduce asexually as well or do they just disperse their seeds and die after flowering?

The original plants wouldn't change colour. They must have died and what you're seeing is the next generation. They do not reproduce asexually. They are perennial do not die after seeding. But they can be short lived depending on growing conditions.

Yes, what Floral said. Around here in zone 5NY the plants only live a year or three but seedlings come up all the time. I have lots of different colors and I never plant seeds myself (although I do throw them around when deadheading seedpods). Some plants are tiny and delicate and red like the wild ones in the woods here. And some are huge and blue. It's a surprise each year, like the annual poppies that return from seed.

I have a lot of pollinator insects that do the work, plus hummingbirds love columbines and probably pollinate too.

Susan maybe I'll have to trade you for some seeds this year, because dark red is the only color I ever get. If I ever do get a color I like, is there any way to make sure that at least a couple of the babies will be the same color as the parents?

I really couldn't tell you that. Maybe start new plants from a seed packet to get new colors.

When you say red, do you mean a real red, usually with a yellow inside? Those sound like the wild NE native columbine A. canadensis) while the purple sounds like the European type (A. vulgaris). Any chance you ended up with both?

The European one has a kind of rose colored version which shows up alongside the purple. If it's not a real red shade then it might be seedlings off the purple.

I once splurged and bought two collections of mixed tall phlox. I couldn't resist the picture and really wanted that amazing range on the package so I figured even though it was about all my budget could afford, two sets should really make it a safe bet. They were weak little plants and didn't bloom the first summer, but the next year put on quite a show....except every last one was white. White was the one color I had already.

I don't think it's A. canadensis. After looking at pictures it looks more like A. Vulgaris. It's a double flowering columbine that was supposed to be dark purple but the color that I get is more of a dark red. After looking at pictures of double flowering columbines online, I think it's one of the Barlow varieties (most likely Black Barlow or Bordeaux Barlow). I think all of the Barlow varieties (I especially like Nora Barlow) are very pretty and I'll probably buy the other colors or trade for them here.

Even the Barlow types produce mixed offspring. I've had all sorts appear over the years.

^^ Ditto!! I remember paying some serious money for a Black Barlow many, many years ago before they became relatively common. It only remained BB for a season or two and the seedlings were all over the map in appearance :-(

I just looked at Bordeaux and black Barlow, I know you're wondering where your purple went but I'm thinking you made out very well!

I kept everything out of my garden except for blue, and that's whats been reseeding. In my last garden all the average shades showed up but I wasn't as thrilled with some of them. We'll see what happens this year though. I added a few of the large flowered hybrids and I wonder how much they'll cross.

Previously, i had both pink and purple columbines in my garden, but this year they are all white. Same thing with my iris, previously purple, this year though, they are all blossoming with white flowers!