Illustration
Eastern Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Eastern Red Columbine blooms from April through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Eastern Red Columbine
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 24 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Eastern Red Columbine
Plant Eastern Red Columbine in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Eastern Red Columbine get?
24 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Eastern Red Columbine in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Eastern Red Columbine
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Eastern Red Columbine about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Eastern Red Columbine to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Eastern Red Columbine's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- New Moon Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- newblooms.comNew Blooms Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.orgNative Plant Trust Garden Plant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, years to mature size and trait tags
- Prairie Moon Nurseryheight, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- usperennials.comUS Perennialsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- prairienursery.comPrairie Nurseryheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centerheight, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Department of ConservationField Guideheight and trait tags
- US Forest ServiceUSDA Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowersheight and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Eastern Red Columbine
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Best treated as mildly toxic and not a food: the seeds and roots are the most concentrated. Keep children and pets from eating them. per PLOS ONE and Cornell
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.