The illustrated growing guide
Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Family Ranunculaceae
Est. zones 3-8
Individual plants live 3-4 years but the self-sown seedlings keep the patch immortal — and they cross into surprise colors. The native red one is synchronized with hummingbird migration.
Part Shade
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Native to North America
Attracts hummingbirds
Attracts bees☤ Juglone-sensitiveColumbine is sensitive to juglone — the toxin exuded by black walnut, butternut, and their relatives. Keep it 50+ ft from any walnut or hickory, or its leaves will yellow, wilt, and die back for no obvious reason.
From the print shop
Growing columbine? Hang it.
Our Wildflowers Vol. 2 collection carries columbine — Aquilegia canadensis, print Nº 9, “Wild Columbine.”
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
I
Overview
Will columbine suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what columbine actually needs.
Hardy inZones 3-8Columbine at a glance
Common columbine problems
- Leaf Miner (squiggle trails — cosmetic)
- Powdery Mildew
II
Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow columbine: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate columbine
III
The year
What columbine asks for, month by month.
The columbine year, month by month
BloomWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
The columbine year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar quiet month
- Apr bloom
- May bloom
- Jun bloom
- Jul quiet month
- Aug quiet month
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
IV
Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Columbine in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer perennial
- Nectary/insectary
What columbine is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic if eaten (rarely an issue)
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
V
Cultivars
Named varieties of columbine, ruled as a catalogue.
Best columbine varieties & cultivars
Native red A. canadensis (hummingbird timing); 'McKana Giants'; alpine blue A. caerulea
VI
Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to columbineyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
VII
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
VIII
Questions
Columbine questions, answered straight.
Is columbine safe for kids and pets?
With care. Toxic if eaten (rarely an issue) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate columbine?
Division or seed.
IX
Elsewhere
Where columbine sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily