Columbine (Aquilegia) is one of our favorite spring garden plants. There are numerous species, hybrids, and cultivars with unique flowers in blues, pinks, reds, purples, whites, yellows, and many shades in between. Flowers are upright or nodding and consist of five petals with long spurs on the back. Five sepals surround the petals and can be the same color as the petals or contrasting. Plants are favorites for hummingbirds and bees and some species are fragrant. Leaves are green to bluish-green and arranged in groups of three on long petioles.
Growing Conditions | Care | Propagation | Potential Problems | Species & Cultivars | More Information
A Short-Lived Perennial
While columbine is perennial, it tends to only last a handful of years in the garden. Plants freely set seed and species types will persist in the garden for years if the fingerlike seed capsules are allowed to form and spread seed. The seed germinates readily and while plants readily come up in many spots around the garden, they are rarely considered weedy by the gardener!
Hybrid types often live one to three years and will set seed that will subsequently grow into a plant that rarely resembles the parent. Species freely hybridize with each other, so collectors and "Aquilegi-philes" will often find their own hybrids pop up in their garden beds.
Growing Conditions
Columbine prefers part-shade and cool growing conditions. Plants grow in full sun, but must be provided plenty of moisture, and flowers tend to be more muted in color and shorter-lived. Provide organic, rich, moist soils that are well-drained. Plants tend to suffer in heavy, compacted soils, but they are also not drought tolerant. Many are great in rock gardens when provided with consistent moisture. Amend soils with compost to help provide the moisture-rich but well-drained soils columbine thrives in.
Care
Keep the soil evenly moist and supplemental water will be needed when conditions are dry. Place mulch around plants to keep soil conditions cool and moist and help suppress weeds. Columbine loves a bit of fertilizer and will respond well to a fertilizer application in spring as the leaves begin to emerge. Utilize an all-purpose, complete fertilizer of your choice. A second application can be made when the flower buds are forming.
Deadheading may be necessary to reduce reseeding. Many gardeners don't see the reseeding as a big issue, but it is possible to get a little too much of a good thing! Flowers make excellent cut flowers for spring arrangements, and the interesting seed capsules are great in dried floral arrangements.
Propagation
Columbine grows easily and readily from seed and this form of propagation is the best way to propagate the species types. Keep in mind that plants freely hybridize, so if you have several different species or hybrids, you may get some plants from seed that don't resemble the parent.
While they are frequently sold as seed, hybrids often do not come true to type in the home garden. Division can be done in late summer, but it is a little difficult. Take care to separate the long coarse roots and replant immediately.
Potential Problems
Columbine is relatively problem-free. Occasionally, plants may see aphids, spider mites, or columbine borers, but these issues rarely cause notable problems. Crown rot is possible in poorly drained soils, so plant in better-draining soils should this issue develop.
Leafminer
Columbines are considered to be low-maintenance; generally, you plant them and enjoy them. The one consistent pest problem noticed in the home garden is the columbine leafminer that disfigures the leaves. The leafminer is not fatal to the plant, but may be aesthetically displeasing.
The leafminer is a fly larva small enough to squeeze between the top and lower epidermis layers of the soft, blue-green lobed leaves. The leafminer fly lays her eggs on the foliage at about the time the plants start to flower. The larvae tunnel into the leaf where they eat and grow, producing meandering tunnels inside the leaf that grow wider as the insect advances. There are several successive generations per year, and by mid-summer, plants may have several tunnels per leaf that show as white snake-like streaks winding through the leaves. The tunnels are conspicuous, but the injury has little, if any, effect on plant health.
Insecticides are of little help in controlling columbine leafminers and may do more harm than good by eliminating existing natural enemies. Additionally, they must be applied early in the season as nothing can be done to fix the problem once it is noticed. The practical control is to ignore them, but if you must do something, the foliage can be trimmed back to the base after flowering, and a new, fresh mound of leaves will appear. This should only be done if you really cannot tolerate the damage!
Species & Culitvars
There are several different species, varieties, and cultivars available at garden centers. Many of the cultivars are hybrids (Aquilegia × hybrida) which are often crosses between many of the long-spurred species including A. canadensis, A. caerulea, A. chrysantha, and A. formosa.
| Species | Common Name | Flower Color (sepals/petals) | Height (ft) | Natvity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. canadensis | Canadian Columbine | yellow/red | 2-3 | Eastern North America |
| A. caerulea (coerulea) | Rocky Mountain Columbine | blue/white | 1-2 | Western United States |
| A. alpina | Alpine Columbine | blue/blue (white) | 1-3 | Switzerland |
| A. × hybrida | Hybrid Coumbine | various | 1.5-3 | hybrid |
| A. formosa | Red Columbine | yellow/red | 1-3 | Western North America |
| A. chrysantha | Golden Columbine | yellow/pale yellow | 2-4 | Western United States |
| A. flabellata | Fan Columbine | white/white | 1-1.5 | Japan |
| A. longissima | Longspur Columbine | yellow/pale yellow | 2-3 | Southern United States |
| A. vulgaris | Common Columbine | blue (violet)/blue (violet) | 1.5-2 | Europe |
Cultivars & Varieties
- 'Yellow Queen' (A. chrysantha) - lemon yellow flowers
- var. ochroleuca (A. caerulea) - white flowers
- 'Crimson Star' (A. caerulea) - crimson and white flowers
- 'Red Hobbit' (A. caerulea) - compact, red and white flowers
- 'Corbett' (A. canadensis) - shorter, yellow flowers
- 'Little Lanterns' (A. canadensis) - yellow and red, short-stature
- var. nivea (also known as 'Munstead White') (A. vulgaris) - grey-green foliage, white flowers
- Clementine Series (A. vulgaris) - various colors, double upward-facing flowers, compact plants
- 'Nora Barlow' (A. vulgaris) - pinkish double flowers
- 'William Guiness' (A. vulgaris) - tall, almost black and white in color
- Winky Series (A. vulgaris) - upward-facing flowers in various color combinations, short
- Cameo Series (A. flabellata) - dwarf, various colors, good for rock gardens
- 'McKana Hybrids' (A. × hybrida) - various colors, long spurs
- Song Bird Series (A. × hybrida) - comprised of cultivars in various colors including 'Bluebird,' 'Cardinal,' 'Blue Jay,' Robin,' and 'Dove.'
- 'Musik' (A. × hybrida) - various colors, compact
More Information
- Native Woodland Wildflowers for the Home Garden
- Propagating Woodland Wildflowers
- May Blooming Perennials
- How to Grow Perennials from Seed
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