Columbine
Aquilegia
Columbine blooms from April through June.
Mature size, 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.
Growing Columbine
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Columbine
Plant 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. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8 range, 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: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
Comes in 6 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about 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
Worth knowing
Nectar sits at the tip of each flower's spurs, so spur shape picks the pollinator: short curved spurs suit bees, straight red ones hummingbirds, very long spurs hawk moths. per BMC Plant Biology
Not as poisonous as folklore
Online sources call columbine fatal, but no reachable tier-1 authority (ASPCA, NC State, Cornell) gives it any poison rating. Treat it as mildly toxic, not deadly. per USDA and Cornell
Signature pest: leaf miner
The columbine leaf miner tunnels pale, snaky trails through the leaves. It looks bad but is only cosmetic (Illinois rates it 1 of 5), so no spray is needed. per Wisconsin and University of Illinois
Native red columbine resists it
The native red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) shrugs off the leaf miner far better than the showy hybrids do. Choosing it is itself a pest-control decision. per NC State and Wisconsin
Short-lived but self-sowing
Each plant lives only about 2 to 5 years, but it self-seeds freely, so a stand renews itself. Let some flowers set seed to keep it going. per NC State and Clemson
Cut it back after bloom
Columbine welcomes a hard cutback after bloom or once leaf miners tunnel the leaves. It reflushes clean new growth, and you can time it to limit self-seeding. per NC State and Wisconsin
What pairs well with Columbine
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 6.6 ft, for the layer behind it; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in late winter and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; taller at 9.8 ft, for the layer behind it; both are native plants.
Snowdrop
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; lower at 5 in, for the front of the border; its white flowers settle the purple.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it; both are native plants.
Cardinal Flower
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; both are native plants.
Christmas Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both are native plants.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
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.