Aquilegia (Columbine) in the garden

Aquilegia (Columbine) in the garden fills areas of my spring garden every year with its eye catching blooms. I have several different colors and varieties that reseed themselves and grow anywhere and everwhere. The Aquilegia tolerates a wide range of soil types but does not like to sit in heavy soggy soils. I have found in my red clay soil that if the Aquilegia is started from seed the plants adapt and grow beautifully. Aquilegia is a great spring bloomer for rock gardens too and if you sow them from seed, you are almost guaranteed to get a strong healthy plant and no worries about transplant shock.

The Aquilegia pronounced { a-kwə-ˈlē-j(ē-)ə } grows in a wide variety of soil and will grow happily in part sun to full sun in zones 3-9. I have found that the Aquilegia does really well in morning sun through about mid-day here in zone 7 and will tolerate dappled shade and sunlight. This is a great spring bloomer which can grow upwards of 32″ with the flower stem about half of the height of the plant. The leaves of the Aquilegia have a great and unique shape so I find them quite attractive in the garden beds even after the blooms fade. The heights vary from the age of plant and color and variety with very young Aquilegia plants blooming when only 8″ tall. I have a few of those in the cracks of the sidewalk and random spots in the garden beds.

Aquilegia (Columbine) in the garden will bloom the next spring if you sow the seeds during the summer and fall of the previous year. Yes, I said sow the seeds anytime and they will grow and be ready for the next year. If you have a difficult place to plant where digging may not be an option, I encourage you to start perennials from seed. Aquilegia are a great way to fill in a bare spot too and mix in with other perennials such as daylilies, Coneflowers, and Black eyed Susans in the garden. I have Aquilegia growing randomly in the shadier gardens of my yard too but they prefer more sun than shade so they do not grow as large or bloom as beautifully as in the front garden beds where they bask in the morning sun and cool off in the afternoon shade of the house.

Aquilegia (Columbine) in the garden is semi evergreen and will not die back until the freezing temps in the teens. So in January and February (here in zone 7) the delicate looking leaves of the Columbine disappear for a short time until March when the night time temps stop dipping so low. I let mine be and go to seed so I can give them away; however, you can keep spent flowers trimmed off and promote further blooming.

Aquilegia can be easily transplanted if you do it ‘right’. Here’s a video to show you how I do it and I have almost never had a plant die or go into shock. The first hint is to wait for the day before a rain and not disturb the roots. I have included a video to show you how I do it. Do not forget to collect the seeds after the blooms fade and the seedpods dry to give to friends and spread around bare spots in your garden.

Hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators enjoy Aquilegia in the spring. There are certain colors Aquilegia that tower above the perennials in the bed and catch the eye of the garden visitor. From the picture you see varying heights and colors in my front garden beds because I just let them be and somehow I get different colors where I did not plant them. I do not care because any bloom in my garden is a welcome bloom. And, truth be told, I am a messy gardener who crowds my plants and loves the look of full beds filled with blooms and many colors, shapes, and textures of leaves. I let nature do her thing and the outcome is pretty spectacular.

So if you can get your hands on some Aquilegia seeds you can sow them now even if it is spring/summer and next spring you should have blooms. I let some seeds self sow (as you can tell from the pictures) because the Aquilegia is a short lived perennial with a lifespan of 3-4 years in the garden.

Thanks for stopping by and if you ever have a question, go ahead and contact me. Gardening is not about the rules and should always be about the beauty and enjoyment of nature enticing the bees, butterflies, and birds.