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Columbine: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Columbine Flowers | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Columbine

Photo Credit
Valentin Agapov/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Aquilegia spp.
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Orange
Pink
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Special Features
Attracts Birds
Attracts Butterflies
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How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Columbine Flowers

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The enchanting columbine (Aquilegia), with its multi-colored petals, blooms from spring through early summer. Though this perennial wildflower appears delicate, it’s among the hardiest of native plants as well as deer-resistant, providing early nectar for pollinators. Here’s how to plant and grow columbine flowers in your garden.

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 mountains areas, along streambeds, and in temperate woodlands. The deep-blue columbine that grow as wildflowers in Colorado mountains are direct descendents of the earliest columbines.


Blue Columbine wildflower growing on Aspen, Colorado, forest floor. Credit: Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock

What Does a Columbine Flower Look Like

This unusual and breathtakingly beautiful flower displays small bell-shape buttercup-like flower with 5 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 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 this flower in many shades.

Planting

Columbines grow well in 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 fall or after last spring 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 mature size of the variety. Water thoroughly.

columbine-1154950_1920_full_width.jpg

Growing
  • Avoid overwatering.
  • 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.
  • Allow the plant to self-seed after it blooms and it will produce many volunteer seedlings in the following year.
  • Columbine dies back all the way to the ground at dormancy. Plants can be cut back hard in the fall clean up the foliage.
  • Before the ground freezes, mulch to protect roots.
  • Note: Columbine does
Recommended Varieties

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 miner; dwarf variety, 1 to 1-1/2 feet tall
  • ‘Little Lanterns’: red and yellow bell-shape flowers; resistant to leaf miner; 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.
Harvesting

Cut flowers for indoor arrangements when they are half open. Vase life is 5 to 7 days.

Wit and Wisdom
  • Columbine’s Latin name, Aquilegia, is derived from the Latin word for eagle, aquila. The long spurs that extend behind the flower petals resemble the claws of an eagle. 
  • Native Americans traditionally used the crushed seeds as a love charm and for medicinal purposes.
  • Columbine was named for the Latin word columba, which means dove.
Pests/Diseases

Columbine Pests and Diseases
Pest/Disease Type Symptoms Control/Prevention
Leaf miners Insect Meandering blisters in leaves caused by tunneling larvae Remove infested leaves; weed around plants; use row covers; till soil early in season; rotate plantings
Leaf spot (fungal) Fungus Leaf spots on lower leaves enlarge and turn brown/black; fuzzy growth or pustules in lesions; disease progresses upward; leaves die Destroy infected leaves/severely infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect garden tools; choose resistant varieties; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Powdery mildew Fungus White spots or flourlike coating on upper leaf surfaces; leaves drop; distortion/stunting Destroy infected parts (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; resistant varieties; good air circulation/sunlight; spray plants with solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda/1 qt water; prevent plant stress; avoid overhead watering
Root-knot nematodes Nematode Roots “knotty” or galled; plants stunted/yellow/wilted/weakened; leaves and other parts may distort or die; poor flowering Destroy infested plant debris after flowering season, including roots (do not compost); disinfect garden tools; choose resistant varieties; solarize soil; plant French marigolds (Tagetes patula) as a trap crop; rotate plantings
Rust Fungus Orange pustules on underside of lower leaves/stems; spots on upper leaf surfaces; foliage distorts/dies/drops; stunting; poor flowering; plants weakened Destroy infected parts/severely diseased plants; remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering; weed diligently
Southern blight (white mold) Fungus Leaves/stems/entire plants wilt, brown or blacken, and may die; water-soaked lesions on lower stems; crown/bulb/rhizome rot; fluffy, white fungal mats with mustard-seed–like balls on stems’ bases/nearby soil Destroy infected parts/plants, white fungal mats, and surrounding soil to at least 6 inches beyond plant and 8 inches deep; remove plant debris regularly; disinfect garden tools; solarize soil; resistant varieties; provide good drainage
Flowers
Annuals

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Sharon Browder (not verified)

7 months ago

Columbine is Colorado state's flower. Avery beautiful, delicate blume. This year i chose to plant something that woukd be deer resistant and drought worthy.

I planted 16 adult plants in FULL BLOOM costing almost $200. Aling with a few other plants for a big splash of color. But mostly because they are deer resistant.

By morning EVERYone of these plants were eaten to the core if the plant.

These plants do not flower the entire summer so all I have is nubbs until next year.
Please don't believe everything you read.

Norma cairo (not verified)

1 year 3 months ago

How do I order some of these flowers.