Planting, Growing, and Caring for Columbines
Have you seen this enchanting wildflower? Columbine (Aquilegia), with its multi-colored petals, blooms from spring through early summer. Though this native perennial appears delicate, it’s among the hardiest of native plants and is deer-resistant and pollinator-friendly. Learn all about growing columbine.
What is a Columbine Flower?
Columbine (Aquilegia), aka granny’s bonnet, is a perennial flower that blooms in the spring. There are more than 70 species of columbines, including native columbines that grow wild in mountain areas, along stream beds, and in temperate woodlands. The deep-blue columbines that grow as wildflowers in the Colorado mountains are direct descendants of the earliest columbines.
What Does a Columbine Flower Look Like?
This unusual and breathtakingly beautiful flower displays a small bell-shaped buttercup-like flower with five petals nestled within five long backward-extending spurs. The petals are often bi-colored and may be bright red with pink, lavender, blue, yellow, white, or a combination of these colors! Columbines cross-pollinate easily, so new species form frequently. Their pretty blue-green, lacy foliage stays green long after the blossoms disappear, turning purple or red in the fall.
The flowers attract butterflies, bees, moths, and hummingbirds—but thankfully, not deer! This hardy plant is also quite resilient and drought-tolerant. Once started, columbine propagates for years and, although perennial, increases most rapidly by self-seeding.
See the video below to view this flower in many shades:
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Planting
Columbines grow well in the sun or light shade. Although these plants aren’t picky about soil conditions, they do prefer well-draining soil of average fertility.
When to Plant Columbine
- Direct-sow in the ground in the fall or after last spring’s frost.
- Alternatively, sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost.
How to Plant Columbine
- Press the seed into the soil, but do not cover it.
- Thin to the strongest plants.
- If setting a mature plant into a container, create a hole twice the diameter of the “old” pot. Set the top of the root ball level with the soil surface. Fill in with soil, then tamp gently and water.
- Outdoors space mature plants 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on the mature size of the variety. Water thoroughly.
Types
Among the more than 70 species of columbine, these are the favorites to cultivate:
- Native eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis): pale, pink to blood-red and pink/yellow flowers that point upwards
- ‘Corbett’: pale yellow flowers; resistant to leaf miners; dwarf variety, 1 to 1-1/2 feet tall
- ‘Little Lanterns’: red and yellow bell-shape flowers; resistant to leaf miners; compact, 10 inches tall
- ‘William Guiness’ European columbine (A. vulgaris): stunning dark purple petals with white on sepals; bushy; 24 to 30 inches tall
The Swan series includes bicolor, midsize (16- to 22-inch) hybrids excellent for cutting when half open …
- ‘Swan Pink and Yellow’: Soft pink outer petals with pastel yellow inner petals.
- ‘Swan Red and White’: Red outer petals with white inner petals.
Gardening Products
Hello, Susan!
Yes, you should deadhead your colubine, it'll promote a longer blooming cycle!
As above in the growing guide:
Deadhead faded flowers. New buds will develop along the stems. The bloom season can thus be extended by as long as 6 weeks into midsummer.
—The Editors
Hi Jessica,
Columbines are not the easiest of plants to transplant/divide and it is best to attempt in the late summer/fall after all the flowers and foliage have faded or in the spring as new growth starts to emerge.
Columbines tend to have deep tap roots so if you must remove them from the current location, you need to dig a large circle around the base and deep enough to retain all of the roots. Failure to do so can cause your plant to suffer.
Given the fact you are moving and your window for removal may not align with the best times to transplant, you can certainly try to remove it from the ground and plant in a container with quality potting mix, but there is no guarantee it will survive.
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