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:
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.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Should you dead head the spent flowers on columbine plants?
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
We are moving in a and I would like to take my columbine with me, what is the best way to go about potting the plant?
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.
I have the native columbines in my perennial beds here too the Piedmont of North Carolina and I dearly love them. They are so delightful to see blooming early in spring as they are a good stand alone flower needing no others to make them shine. I love how they reseed and send more and more volunteers each year. If you don’t know columbine, you should!!
Native eastern red columbine bloom in the woods here in Conn.; such a wonderful native plant~
I have (HAD) a gorgeous red one and a multicolored one - both have been eaten down to the ground by deer, repeatedly. I'm not sure why this site indicates that it is deer resistant - more like deer attractant. If you get one and have deer come into your yard, be sure to protect your columbine with some netting or something. It IS gorgeous, when not eaten to the ground.
I think "Deer and rabbit Resistant" is a misnomer. A deer or rabbit will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough..
I truly love all the information you send out, the receipes, health issues and the quotes and fact findings, the garden issues with the pictures have helped me to have a better and more beautiful garden, I thank the editors and the staff of the farmers almanac, THANK YOU, great job, I look forward to every issue.
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.
